misrepresentations

I wish I didn't see so many misrepresentations of MS in entertainment. I was watching an episode of "Hart of Dixie" in which a young woman was earlier diagnosed with MS. She wants to perform in a parade on a hot summer day. Her doctor urges her not to perform because she may encounter another exacerbation. That much is true. The heat of summer can increase MS symptoms.

But the young woman says, "Doctor, you and I both know this may be my last chance to really live." That's a little over the top. One year after diagnosis, life is not likely to end. Then again, it depends on what your expectations are when you speak of "really living."

In other shows, I especially don't like to hear people claim, "she died of MS." MS itself is not fatal. It is only after years of progressive disease that someone might die from complications related to MS.

Anyway, MS is not the end of anything. It is the beginning of a challenge, but life goes on.