What started out as dizziness during a football game turned into a life-changing diagnosis for sports anchor Danielle Stein.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For WCNC Charlotte sports anchor Danielle Stein, what started as dizziness during a busy football weekend turned into a life-changing diagnosis.
While covering a Jacksonville Jaguars-Kansas City Chiefs game in September 2023, Stein experienced vertigo she initially attributed to caffeine and lack of sleep.
“I thought it was the caffeine, the lack of sleep, all those things that come with covering sports,” Stein said during an interview on WCNC+. “The next day I woke up and it wasn’t going away.”
After several days of persistent symptoms, Stein visited an ear, nose and throat specialist who ordered an MRI. The results were unexpected.
“The MRI report said essentially your ears look good, but we’re suspicious of multiple sclerosis based on the scan,” Stein recalled. “We’re seeing these lesions in your brain.”
Multiple sclerosis occurs when the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Stein describes it using the analogy of a damaged phone cord.
“Essentially what MS is to the core is the immune system is attacking this phone wire and exposing these wires,” she explained. “That’s what creates these lesions either on the brain or the spinal cord.”
Depending on the location of these lesions, MS can cause various symptoms including vision problems, fatigue or mobility issues.
Stein was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in October 2023 and began treatment within a month. She hasn’t experienced another major relapse since her initial symptoms.
“Me and my family, my team of doctors did a very good job of attacking things very quickly,” Stein said. “I think there’s also been a lot of good that has come from it in terms of connection with some new people.”
Now, Stein is using her platform to raise awareness through organizations like Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis (MS for MS), which brings awareness to the condition through sports events. Last summer, she helped organize an MS awareness game at Boston’s Fenway Park that attracted more than 500 attendees and raised funds for research and support services.
March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, with orange serving as the official color for MS awareness.
