Check Out Marcus Owens’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Owens.

Hi Marcus, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Marcus, I’m 32 years old and I’m living with a form of myositis called necrotizing myopathy. I grew up in New York City but I have lived and have family all over the country. Currently I live in Cleveland Ohio.

Myositis is an autoimmune disease that attacks your muscle groups: in my case my shoulders, hips, core, neck and throat muscles were all severely affected. I have had this diagnosis for two years, but started feeling weakness when I was 26. I originally was misdiagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy and was told there is no available treatment and to try and stay loose. That same summer I moved to Los Angeles to start my Masters of Social Work at University of Southern California. Despite graduating in 2021 and starting a job in the city my health continued to decline. I lost so much muscle mass to the point now that I am an ambulatory wheelchair user. It was no longer safe for me to live on my own and so I moved home to Ohio with my parents. I got my correct diagnosis at the Cleveland Clinic while nearly dying from pneumonia.

I get monthly immunoglobulin injections (IVIG for short), I take prednisone and methotrexate to calm my immune system down, pantoprazole and folic acid for the steroid side effects, calcium and vitamin d for my bones and of course sertraline to keep the darkness at bay.

I’m thankful they figured out what was happening to me because I had made peace with my life ending. Since I’m still here the plan is to have as much fun as possible while I still can. I love movies, collecting sneakers, watching basketball and stand up comedy. I also picked up DJing as a quarantine hobby and am always looking for new danceable music.

The biggest lesson I have learned is to get a second opinion no matter what. We put trust in our medical professionals to keep us healthy but in reality they are humans who can get things wrong. It’s a scary thought but ultimately we are responsible for our lives and our happiness, so we chronically ill people have to find our reason to keep fighting the good fight. There is no denying it’s trash, like really really trash. But hey that’s life, who said it’s going to be fair? The horrors persist but so do I, ball up top.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part of all of this has been staying confident through all of this. I know who I am, I know what I am capable of. But my body does not respond the way I think it should.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m most proud of my podcast Implicitly Awkward. It started as a passion project with a dear friend in grad school at USC where we focused on current events, racism, sexism and the other systems of oppression we encountered while in school together. I have since used it to shed more light on disability, disability advocacy, and giving platforms to the stories I wish I would have heard. It’s available to stream wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts!

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice is find people who are better than you at the things you want to do. That person could very well be younger than you. In terms of networking, keep in mind that your peers are a resource. Lean on each other, lead with love and always help each other win.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Tribecalledflex
• LinkedIn: Marcus Jameel Owens
• Twitter: Tribecalledflex
• Soundcloud: Tribecalledflex