From Pencil to Pixel: An Artist’s Path Through MS

Miguel has been drawing for as long as he can remember. From age nine, his dream was to become a Disney animator. He studied classical animation in college and learned the pen-and-pencil techniques of the Disney style. Early in his first year, he noticed a small wobble in his line work that he couldn't control. His teachers noticed it too and told him he likely wouldn’t be able to work for Disney. Looking back, Miguel now realizes that early loss of precision was probably one of his first MS symptoms, even though he wouldn't get a diagnosis for another decade.

By 2010, life seemed to be falling into place. Miguel had a thriving career in IT recruitment and was a devoted husband and father to his wife, Natalie, and twin daughters, Kayla and Maliya. Then came a moment he would never forget. While carrying his four-month-old daughter down the stairs, he slipped and hit his head. The dizziness and double vision that followed lasted for days, and what he first thought was a concussion eventually led to his MS diagnosis. “I didn’t know anything about MS at that time, so I was googling every little symptom, like a limp or dropping something unexpectedly,” he recalls. 

The early years were overwhelming. Miguel struggled with anger, grief, and the frustration of watching his body change. His MS progressed to secondary progressive MS and he was switched to a different medication that left him exhausted and physically weak. “I lost about 60 pounds,” he says. “My girls were full of energy, and my body was completely failing. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Even in those difficult times, Miguel found ways to stay present. He became involved in his daughters’ education, tutoring them from grades one through eight and studying the curriculum so he could support them properly. He also learned to manage his energy strategically. 

“I think of my energy like a glass of water,” he explains. “After sleep, it’s full, and that’s it for the day. How I spend it is everything. I plan in 30-minute windows, rest, and then keep going.”

Through it all, art remained at the center of Miguel’s identity. Muscle control challenges in his right hand meant he could only do rough sketches. To continue creating, he turned to technology. He scanned old comic work, trained AI to learn his style, and built panels carefully, one by one. Updates to AI meant he had to adjust things over and over again, sometimes even restarting completely. For Photoshop work, he designed a glove with chopsticks threaded through the middle fingers to prevent accidental clicks from his curled fingers.

The result is his graphic memoir, More Than MS: My Big Sick Journey. 

“Art became a way to reclaim what MS had taken away,” he shared. “It’s messy and chaotic, but it’s mine. It’s how I process everything and share my story.” 

The memoir is also a love letter to his family. His wife and daughters were his anchors through the hardest years, reminding him to keep moving forward and to cherish the small joyful moments that MS can't take away.

Miguel’s story is ultimately about adaptation, presence, and finding meaning in what remains. “Your condition doesn’t have to define who you are,” he says. He focuses on connection, creativity, and being present. His advice for someone newly diagnosed is simple: “You are allowed to be scared. Take your time, rest, slow down. Focus on what you can control day by day.”

“MS has taught me to really cherish the small moments in life,” he adds. “This disease tries to take up the whole room—everything around you. So look for the corners. Look for those little bits and pieces. They can be the most rewarding. You can still build a full life, you just have to figure out how to live it differently.”