Nova 106.9 presenter Katie Mattin opens up about a recent health scare and living with MS

As she waits to learn about the severity of a new brain lesion, Nova 106.9 presenter Katie Mattin has spoken candidly about how she has learned to cope with the uncertainty of this debilitating condition.

BRISBANE radio presenter Katie Mattin, who lives with multiple sclerosis, felt like her body had let her down again when doctors discovered a new lesion in her brain.

Since the discovery during a routine appointment in February, the Nova 106.9 presenter has faced a nerve-racking wait until August when neurologists will be able to determine the lesion’s severity and whether she needs to change to a medication that carries potentially severe side effects.

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Nova presenter Katie Mattin, who has MS, has discovered a new lesion in her brain. Picture: Jamie Hanson

“He said it looks quite large and is in the memory part of the brain, ”said Mattin, who was diagnosed with MS, a chronic and incurable disease where the immune system attacks nerves and causes lesions, in 2009.

“It’s just scary when you go into a room and think ‘I forget what I came here for’, now I think ‘oh my God, I’m losing my memory’.”

“It’s just really disappointing. You think you’re going OK, then it’s like ‘No, it’s still there. It’s not going anywhere and it’s still attacking’. You feel a bit let down by your body.

“When I see the MRI scan I have a look at all the lesions I’ve already had.”

Mattin, who takes pills twice daily, has two-monthly blood tests and six-monthly appointments, said new medication could mean riskier side effects, including a brain infection her immune system might not be able to fight.

Mattin with daughters Holly and Amelia Walkerden at Brisbane Fashion Month's exclusive screening of Disney's Maleficent: Mistress of Evil at the Elizabeth Picture Theatre in 2019. Picture: Adam Shaw (Vethaak Media)

“It’s when you go through that moment of telling news that really changes your outlook,” she said. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to be old and retired with grandchildren and running around. This was not my plan to be disabled.”

A mother to 11-year-old twin daughters Holly and Amelia, she has had to learn to cope with the uncertainty of the progressive disease, which is different for everyone, and often has invisible symptoms.

Last year a lesion on her spine caused her to lose feeling in her feet.

“I remember being at work on air and I jumped off the chair and my feet went all numb. I was crying and I put my mic on to do a break,” she said. “No one knows. No one can see that your feet are numb.”

An MS Queensland ambassador, Mattin (centre) previously tackled the Brissie to Bay with her Nova team members Ange Anderson, Kip Wightman, Melissa Downes, Kimberley Busteed and Jack Tree. Picture: Peter Wallis

Mattin, who has been an ambassador for MS Queensland since 2015, holds onto hope that new medical treatments will be available as she gets older and the MS progresses.

“When I go through those moments of ‘oh my God, what if I go into a wheelchair or what if I go blind – those are the things I’m most scared about – I have to sort of calm myself down and go ‘But what if it doesn’t’,” she said.

“No one knows what will happen tomorrow or what the future will be.

“It’s definitely hard. You definitely go to some dark places thinking what could happen … but everyone has a battle, and this one’s just mine.”