Wife of TV host battling multiple sclerosis

Crippling, incurable disease affects 50,000 Canadians

By Steven Edwards 

Behind the smiles of Canada's Kevin Newman as co-host of Good Morning America is the heartache that his wife, Cathy, has the crippling disease multiple sclerosis.

Doctors made the diagnosis after putting Cathy, 40, through two years of tests, including two ``magnetic resonance imaging'' (MRI) brain scans.

``We are learning to adapt to living with this disease,'' Mr. Newman, 39, said in an interview from New York.

``It takes a little time to understand it all. Cathy has been very brave and I am very proud of her. It's at times like this that you realize just how tough your wife can be.''

So far, life at the couple's New Jersey home with their two children, Alex, 12, and Erica, eight, has not changed much.

``She has a very mild case,'' Mr. Newman, originally from Toronto, explained. ``But we don't know how it will progress. She could be just fine until a very wonderful old age.''

About 50,000 Canadians have MS, which affects the central nervous system and is incurable.

As a mild sufferer, Cathy experiences symptoms that include fatigue and ``pressure and tingling in odd places,'' said Mr. Newman. More common are severe attacks followed by periods of recovery. Still, other sufferers progress to a serious stage in which they may need a wheelchair.

Symptoms are alleviated with drug or holistic treatments, or a combination of the two. Low-fat diets and exercise are also recommended.

``We haven't yet decided on a form of treatment,'' said Mr. Newman. ``But Cathy is already disciplined about the types of foods that we eat. We have cut out a lot of meat.

``She also runs twice a week. That's important, because the stronger you are, the better it is if you get a serious attack.''

The couple has been married for 14 years after meeting while working for Global Television in Toronto, he as a general assignment reporter, she as an entertainment reporter originally from Montreal.

In the late 1980s, Mr. Newman served as parliamentary correspondent for CTV and, later, CBC, but it was his two-year stint as an anchor of CBC's Midday that rendered him well-known throughout Canada. He joined ABC news in 1994, and was named a daily co-anchor of Good Morning America in May of this year.

Mr. Newman learned that his wife has MS just two months after he started his latest job.

``She's had the symptoms for a couple of years,'' he said, explaining that it was common for doctors to take a while to make a diagnosis because the disease can be confused with other ailments.

``We went through a battery of tests,'' he said. ``She had an MRI about 18 months ago. She got the confirmation recently from her second MRI.''

Even before the diagnosis, the couple was involved in raising money for MS research and awareness programs.

``We have a good friend in Montreal who has MS,'' said Mr. Newman. ``We've always been involved.''

Of his present involvement, he said: ``There is an MS walk here in New York and we'll be doing a charity ball in a couple of weeks time.''



With illustration:
 Black & White Photo: Ida Mae Astute, The Associated Press / Kevin Newman on the set of Good Morning America.