the message fund below was written by an MS Patient to People Magazine (and to Sharon Osbourne)
To:People Magazine
Att:Editorial Letters Dept.
Fr: Debbie Serating
I am writing to express my shock and disbelief upon
receiving your recent publication referenced above, with the headline screaming
” I Won’t Let My Son Die.”
receiving your recent publication referenced above, with the headline screaming
” I Won’t Let My Son Die.”
Sorry,Sharon,it’s not up to you. Bad news, your son Jack has been diagnosed with a degenerative
and unpredictable autoimmune disease. Good News: It’s not an inoperable brain tumor.
and unpredictable autoimmune disease. Good News: It’s not an inoperable brain tumor.
It’s multiple sclerosis.
Yup,MS.So there’s hope yet.
I realize that while melodrama sells magazines,it is also
People’s responsibility to be somewhat factual,and therefore it is a
contemptible act of greed and a misconception to display Mrs.Osbourne’s obvious
lack of knowledge and fear of MS-it’s not a fatal disease,but a chronic
illness-in such a negative manner.Those unacquainted with MS such as yourselves,celebrities
and the entire reading public, will now be misled into thinking that being
diagnosed with MS is an unbearable burden,on par with receiving a death
sentence.
People’s responsibility to be somewhat factual,and therefore it is a
contemptible act of greed and a misconception to display Mrs.Osbourne’s obvious
lack of knowledge and fear of MS-it’s not a fatal disease,but a chronic
illness-in such a negative manner.Those unacquainted with MS such as yourselves,celebrities
and the entire reading public, will now be misled into thinking that being
diagnosed with MS is an unbearable burden,on par with receiving a death
sentence.
Bravo to People magazine,for helping to spread Sharon’s
fear and misinformation about this disease among your readers.As someone who
has lived with MS since being diagnosed in 1998(my initial symptoms were almost
identical to Jack’s,but since his is the remitting/ relapsing version,he will
hopefully have a milder,less progressive experience),I know how difficult it is
to remain positive and hopeful,so it is disheartening not just to me and my
fellow MS sufferers(including my own brother) to witness this lack of
sensitivity on your part.(FYI, less than 5% of those initially diagnosed with MS
have severe forms of this disease,which may lead to dire complications in the
first five years;Jack has the mildest,most benign type of MS,with his temporary
loss of vision– vs.weakness or loss of balance and coordination–a key factor
in determining the path of his illness).
fear and misinformation about this disease among your readers.As someone who
has lived with MS since being diagnosed in 1998(my initial symptoms were almost
identical to Jack’s,but since his is the remitting/ relapsing version,he will
hopefully have a milder,less progressive experience),I know how difficult it is
to remain positive and hopeful,so it is disheartening not just to me and my
fellow MS sufferers(including my own brother) to witness this lack of
sensitivity on your part.(FYI, less than 5% of those initially diagnosed with MS
have severe forms of this disease,which may lead to dire complications in the
first five years;Jack has the mildest,most benign type of MS,with his temporary
loss of vision– vs.weakness or loss of balance and coordination–a key factor
in determining the path of his illness).
Every case is different,everyone is unique.Which is not
to say that Jack doesn’t face a challenge ahead of him, but at least his will
be lifelong,not swift and deadly as his mother,and your publication,would have
people believe.
to say that Jack doesn’t face a challenge ahead of him, but at least his will
be lifelong,not swift and deadly as his mother,and your publication,would have
people believe.
Please leave your opinion to this blog posting
Stuart “applauds” Debbie for writing this letter — CLAP -CLAP
..
Please note that all comments are moderated.
So that you can be kept up to date with MS news
Click here to: REGISTER – for our weekly e-Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews