Looking back, I think I was putting more stress on my body than I realized,” Cohen said. The most distressing were episodes of numbness in my left hand and foot, which only lasted about a week before I ended up in the hospital,” Cohen continued. An MRI scan showed numerous lesions on the brain, shifting the diagnosis from cancer to a demyelinating disease. This led to an MRI of Cohen’s spine, revealing even more lesions and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in late May. ...Cohen told Newsweek: “Before my diagnosis, I pushed my body no matter what.