Final word about MS

I mentioned earlier that I wasn't going to turn this into a blog about multiple sclerosis.  It just sort of seems to keep coming up.  I have two final comments about it, and then I'll be done for now.

First, some of you may have heard that Annette Funicello died yesterday.  (Some of you younger readers are asking yourselves, "Who's that, and what's with the funny name?"  I'll leave it up to you to Google her.)  She had MS for many years and had been somewhat of an activist in promoting research and awareness.

A couple of reports said that she died of "complications from multiple sclerosis."  I find that somewhat puzzling because MS isn't generally fatal.  If you told me that a 70-year-old with MS had died, I'd be fairly certain that the cause of death was something other than MS.  I wonder if she broke her hip due to a fall or something like that.  A fracture like that can cause all kinds of complications in elderly people or people with limited mobility.  Anyway, I just wanted to clear up that it's probably not as simple as saying that she died of MS.

Second, I briefly mentioned the other day that Lindsey is pretty excited that I have MS.  I was at a conference a few months ago and picked up a children's book that explains what it means for Mommy or Daddy to have MS.  Most cases of MS are more extreme than mine, and much of the book didn't apply to my situation, but I brought it home for Lindsey anyway.  It helped her to understand a little better why I stumble once in a while.

She's now taken it upon herself to help me walk even when I don't need the help.  She likes feeling useful.  That's why she says she's so happy that I have MS.  I guess it's one positive thing to come out of having MS.  Actually, there are plenty:  I'm finally free of the relentless pressure to run a marathon, no one expects me to be of much use around the house (Stace was overly concerned about me climbing on a stool to change a light bulb last night), and I finally have a convenient excuse for why I'm such a lousy basketball player.