Posted by chicagomedia.org on December 08, 2008 at 09:29:34:
Multiple sclerosis diagnosis won't slow DJ Kevin Matthews' morning drive
by John Sinkevics | The Grand Rapids Press
Monday December 08, 2008, 7:36 AM
GRAND RAPIDS -- WLAV-FM (96.9) morning show host Kevin Matthews has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis but plans to continue working at the radio station while being treated.
Matthews, 52, returned to the airwaves this morning after taking time off the past two weeks to undergo tests in Chicago for "muscle aches and difficulties" experienced the past several weeks, according to a statement from his longtime friend and spokeswoman Ginny Seyferth.
"I dodged a huge atom bomb," Matthews insisted while revealing the diagnosis on the air this morning. He said doctors determined it wasn't a brain tumor but MS. "It happens. It's the card you're dealt with. I can live with this."
Seyferth noted Matthews "has worked with several physicians but is now linked up with Rush (University Medical Center) in Chicago. Through an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and a number of spinal and other scan tests, the physicians found a small mass about the size of a quarter in the area near the brain and some scarring, also called lesions. This is what moved them to processing the tests toward an MS diagnosis."
The symptoms of MS, a chronic progressive nerve disorder, can vary in intensity and duration. They can include vision problems and muscle weakness, spasms and numbness. Although the cause of MS is unknown, several medications are available to treat the disease.
Seyferth told The Press that Matthews' goal "is to be on (air) as much as possible" while being treated.
Matthews said his symptoms began about three weeks ago with numbness in his right leg and right hand. He eventually sought out medical help and testing. "Doctors are looking for my brain," he joked on the air today. "Turns out I have one."
Matthews began his radio career in Grand Rapids in the early 1980s, eventually becoming one of the region's most popular morning personalities.
"Kev's Morning Cafe" on WLAV featured characters such as Jim Shorts, plus a host of on-air shenanigans and comedy routines.
He left West Michigan for St. Louis in 1986, then quickly landed in Chicago, where his stunts and humor became legendary, buoyed by fans known as KevHeads.
After a contract dispute, he returned to Grand Rapids in 2005, enticed by Matt Hanlon, regional president for Citadel Broadcasting, which owns WLAV.
Matthews said at the time that the draw of returning home to Michigan was strong.
"Bigger is not better," he told The Press two months after returning to WLAV. "Chicago's been a wonderful city, but I wasn't enjoying radio. ... I'm loving the fact that I'm doing real radio again."
Matthews is married and has two children.