(Warning: the following essay contains frank descriptions of the physical ravages that can result from Multiple Sclerosis, and may be disturbing to some readers. Those who are sensitive, or would simply rather not know, should stop reading now. Really.)
For much of the healthy public, the face of MS comes in the form of celebrities who suffer from the disease. At the current time, here in The States the most prominent MS representatives are probably Ann Romney (wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney), Jack Osbourne, and Montel Williams. Mr. Williams in particular has become a full-time MS activist, bringing welcome publicity to Multiple Sclerosis as he chronicles his struggles to fight the disease. I have nothing but respect for anybody battling this heinous scourge, and I don’t mean to belittle anybody’s misfortune, but I often find myself wishing that the public could see much deeper into the horrors that MS can inflict, beyond the relatively robust Mrs. Romney, the newly diagnosed young Mr. Osbourne, and the charismatic Mr. Williams.
The following snippet of an Associated Press article on Mrs. Romney’s experiences dealing with MS is typical of how the mass media often portrays Multiple Sclerosis:
“The wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Wednesday that her love of horses helped her overcome her fear that Multiple Sclerosis would put her in a wheelchair.”
As frightening as the prospect of being put in a wheelchair may be to the general public, the above quote significantly downplays just how monstrously devastating the effects of Multiple Sclerosis can be. I applaud any publicity that shines light on the disease, and certainly, it takes courage for those in the public eye to speak openly about their illness, but the beast that is MS can do far worse than leave someone reliant on a wheelchair. This public face of MS most often provides only a faint glimmer into the hellish world of those more severely afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis, a reality that can shock even those suffering from lesser ravages of the disease.
As a truly distressing depiction of the dark side of MS, the plight of former Mouseketeer and teenybopper starlet Annette Funicello stands in stark contrast to the sanitized version of the disease that is most familiar to the general public. Mrs. Funicello has been decimated by Multiple Sclerosis, its wicked impact leaving this once vibrant woman — who several decades ago epitomized exuberant youth — trapped in a living nightmare, her body gnarled and fully frozen while her mind presumably remains intact. For those who can bear to watch, Canadian television’s CTV network recently produced a video profile of Annette Funicello’s current condition, and her loving husband’s never-ending struggle to find some treatment to help relieve her suffering (click here for part one, and here for part two). Be forewarned that the content of these videos may scare the living s$!& out of you. Please don’t watch if viewing the worst that MS can do might have deleterious effects on your own ability to deal with the disease.
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