A woman has shared a viral TikTok video documenting her husband’s devastating health journey, after months of unexplained symptoms led to his diagnosis with a rare neurological disorder.
For two months in early 2023, Matthew Campbell, 32, from Fresno, California, was unwell. It began with headaches that wouldn’t shift—despite taking medication—and eventually progressed to dizziness, vision problems and more.
His wife Michelle, 33, told Newsweek: “His first issue was extreme head pain that would not go away with medication and sudden loss of vision and double vision, which was followed by extreme pain and weakness in his entire body eventually leading to complete paralysis from the waist down.”
On August 15, she shared footage online (@campbelllchaos) of him playing with their son and later being hospitalized, captioning it: “I wish we knew what we know now, looking back it’s all so clear, we just needed ONE doctor who was more educated than us to connect the dots [and] get him in an MRI.”
Despite multiple trips to the emergency room and consultations with five different physicians, it wasn’t until an MRI was requested that answers finally came.
A Traumatic Turn
Michelle recalled the moment their ordeal escalated further.
She told Newsweek: “On the final trip to the ER we were hit by a drunk driver, even though I sustained most of the head on impact, I was able to go home that night but because Matt was not able to see or walk and in extreme pain he was finally admitted in the hospital for over two weeks.
“This was the first time since his attack started over a week prior that he received treatment.”
In May 2023, Matthew was officially diagnosed with Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Disease (MOGAD), a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that affects up to 17,000 people in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What Is MOGAD?
According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), MOGAD is a condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks parts of the nervous system.
It can cause inflammation in the optic nerve (affecting vision), the spinal cord (affecting movement and sensation) and sometimes also the brain.
The immune system targets a protein called MOG, which normally helps protect the coating (myelin) around nerve fibers.
Doctors don’t fully understand what this protein does, but in MOGAD, the immune attack against it leads to nerve damage.
Symptoms and Viral Video
The couple’s TikTok clip, which has been viewed more than 410,000 times, highlights the symptoms Matthew experienced:
- A migraine that wouldn’t go away;
- Extreme pain when moving his head;
- Nausea;
- Loss of balance;
- Inability to empty his bladder;
- Leg pain and heaviness.
Michelle explained that doctors initially thought he had vertigo; this was later identified as optic neuritis. This is an inflammatory condition in which swelling injures the optic nerve, disrupting the transmission of visual information from the eye to the brain.
Treatment
NORD notes that people with MOG antibody disease often need long-term treatment to prevent the immune system from attacking the nerves again.
Since there are no FDA-approved drugs specifically for MOGAD, doctors rely on off-label use of existing medications.
So far, only small studies support their effectiveness, but they remain the main option for managing the disease.
Michelle told Newsweek: “Matt had undergone high-dose steroids and IVIG during his first attack. This gave him some strength in his legs and his vision back. Matt recently started Rituxan infusions, which target his immune system to help prevent further attacks but does not help symptoms from previous attacks.”
A Long Road to Recovery
More than two years after his first symptoms, Matthew still faces daily struggles.
“Some days are better than others, but the disease has been life-altering. He remains strong and continues fighting through each challenge,” Michelle told Newsweek.
She added: “It has changed nearly every aspect of our lives, financially, emotionally, and physically. Matt was the main provider so I’ve had to take on multiple jobs to keep our family afloat while also becoming Matt’s full-time caregiver, which has stretched me in ways I never imagined.
“The journey has been exhausting and often overwhelming, but it has also brought us closer together as a family.”
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