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* Wnhtby im roePis, Wecimday, éMy8, 1996,'pope17 Tht' r-he Health & Lifest Multi*ple M«C The story of a Body in By John Xavier (This article was written on March5 Just over a year ago, o January l2th to be exact, was diagnosed with multipl scierosis. Yesterday I final] cried. Something happene that I'd like to share. -For those unfamiliar wit« MS, here's a layman's briE description. MS is an incurabi and debilitating disease of thý central nervous system. That', your brain and spinal cord. Thi human body is actually ai intricately wired electrica vehicle. Yes, there's rea' electricity running through you: nerves!1 And just toà complete thE analogy, you also havi insulation coating these 'wires', called myelin. For some reason not yel understood by medical science this protective coating can break4 down. Many neurologists believe that the body's own immune system attacks the coating. It's as if the body rears up in revoît and begins stripping the insulation off its own wires. Imagine stripping the insulation from ail the wires in your home. You're -going t o get short circuits, delays, voltage leaks, and at the very least you'll blowý a few fuses. Think of ahl the ,.stuff in your ý,home that- requires electricity. Remove the insulation from the wires, turn everything on, then liberally spray it ail with water. Get the picture? Things are either going to stop working, or explode. MS is a roller coaster ride through extremely weird terrain' in a cab that has loose wheels -and no brakes. Symptoms of MS c an vary and include: numbness »and weakness in various parts of the body, hoss of control and co- ordination, loss of balance, double incontinence, loss of speech, complete paralysis, and blindness. Chronic fatigue, short term xnemory. 'loss, confusion and mind-numbing physical depression add to the picture. A nd just to make it interesting, if you have MS, you'll neyer know when your next attack is coming or what the results will be. For me, at, first, MS was a frightening hate-monster, al- ready devouring me. The slogan of the British Society of Multiple. Scierosis describes MS sufferers aptly: AHope in Heli. There are many losses that develop in the course of MS, some of which are harder to bear than- others. I have the- body of a runner, and I used to love the sensation of jogging for LIte: yle Sec tion iy hem: Anarchy. 5th of this year). leaving my Collie behind, unable to keep up. As amratter of fact I believe my first hint that something was wrong happened on just such an occasion. At my fastest, my.hegs momentarily devehoped a .mind of their own, and I stumbhed and feil. Mostly I feit perplexed. I am a strong person. For myself I have the strength to cope. But sometimes I have to wonder: Whatever did my beautiful, loving and totalhy dedicated wife do to deserve this? So far I have painted a picture cold and bheak, and my words, I know, won~t instil a sense of comfort or well-being. I'd like to change that. I want to talk about the good news. BUY YOURSELF SOME TIME WJTH SOMEONE ELSE fS MONEY i'power of compounding is indisputable. The more imie your financial assets have to grow, the better off you'II be. ~1 10 1 Borrowing money for investment is a financial strategy that isn't meant for everyone, but may be the right one for you. You can use it to start a financial plan or enrich your present one. Saved tax dollars. - an extra benefit - can also be put to work for you. For more information, cal Canada's iargest independent irivestment dealer: CAPITAL 1PLANNERS LTO. 430-8234 0* "I'd go to the pharmacy for some Gatorade. But I haven't got the energy.' À whole new vocabuha-ry.' "Ibm feeling squeaky today" cornes from the- tin, man in Wizard of Oz. An-it'sso much more descriptive thfan "I appear to'be sufl'ering from spasticity of the limbs." +if you have a wheehchair you get to put 'neat stickers on the back, with 'Catchy, slogans ike: SIT HAPPENS. + You .leariý transmute: desire appreciation. Not thie- usual stuif, like another new drug that's going to solve' everything. Or some revolutionary treatment which will make MS imperceptible. I want to talk about something even more important, something of quality. Because the things I have learnt can also benefit those who are abhe-bodied. Reasons To Be Cheerful If you have MS (and 50,000 Canadians do) here are some Reasons To Be Cheerful. (If you don't have MS you already have lots of reasons to be cheerful). 4Reserved parking spaces worldwide. 'P There's always somtone worse off than you., +. It isn't catching. cari love whoever you without hurting them. .*You want l'+ Appreciation of the Moment. Your sight may go -but your focus cari be sharper than. anýy normal human being.- Since you don't know, when you go to bed, what senses you"ll stili have in the morning, you really would be missing a lot if you didn't concentrate every- ounce of perception, right now, upon: 0 The smell1 of flowers. 0 The sound of a baby haughing. 0 The toýuch of a Io ver's hand. 0 The taste of a 7-layer burrito. 1* The sight of Mr. Bean pretending to- be normal. Focus is. so much more important than sight. Even your thumb can. block. out the sun. +. A whole new repertoire of humour: MS jokes. 0' l"Well Mr. Xavier, I'm afraid you have 'multiple àscierosis." "Oh no! Will I be able to play. the piano?" "Certainly, for a While." "Fantasticl I neyer played before!" 90 "An. angel visited me hast night and told -me how. to- cure -MS. I wishi I could remember, what 8he.said."' how to into 4You get to find out the Ten Secret Things about life:' 1. That the' perfect example of Tough Love is life- itself. 2. That it's okay to cry. 3. That obstacles exist so tha t we may know satisfaction in overcoming thei. 4. That strength is built from adversity. 5. That withouât fear there couldn't be courage. 6.'That love'is acceptance. 7. That happiness. is focussing on what you've got.. 8. That *unhappiness is focussing« on what ydu hauen'It got. 9. That the only thingthat- stays the same is change. 10. That the perfect time is, right now. 4MS proves that, although the body may be getting weaker, the person can get stronger. + You get to find out wýho's special. Yesterday I had what .MS ' sufferers, refer to euphemistically i as a "bad MS day. " When my wife Janet came home from work, she took one look at me,-and. asked how I had managed- to .shovel the snow from the dýri'veway.ý That, -final1y, is' what made me cry. ,I hadn't, been able to siiovel. the drive. I didn't even know- it had been. cleared., Somebody down, my 'street is responsible.' 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