Multiple Sclerosis: The Many Faces of the Disease
Author
Kathy Reed
Publisher
Outskirts Press
4 Review Copies Left
Multiple Sclerosis: The Many Faces of the Disease, is a non-fiction autoimmune disease story revolving around Suzanne McCuiston Bradley, my aunt and a woman plagued with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for most of her life.
In the beginning, the focus is on symptoms and early indicators of the disease. Tests to determine whether or not someone may be diagnosed with MS are examined. How many people in the U.S. have MS? Although the National MS Society estimates that about 400,000 people have the disease, no one knows for certain. This alarming number can have serious impacts on people with MS, as well as loved ones and caregivers.
A case study of Suzanne reveals her life and how she suffered from this debilitating disease. It shows how she was able to overcome in certain circumstances and how she was merely able to survive in other situations. Her life is discussed before and during MS. This story was originally about helping her find a cure, or at least relief. Later, it became about helping other people deal with the emotional and physical symptoms of MS. While one chapter is specifically about Suzanne, her battle is tied into the other chapters as well. She is used as an example whenever possible.
Four disease categories of MS exist, attempts are made to make a distinction between the various categories while demonstrating the category specific to Suzanne.
New treatments are always in the works. What treatment(s) works for one person may not work for another. Discussion occurs of Suzanne's treatment methods as well as various alternate treatments, including some still being tested. Also discussed are causes of MS and drugs and therapies to help relieve MS symptoms, since there is no cure.
Writing this book has taught me a great deal about this mysterious disease. It also helped me gain insight to the true life of my aunt. What I sought to learn was primarily what science could not yet answer: why this disease occurs and how to cure it. Despite the fact that these answers do not really exist, I wanted to learn as much as I could in the hope that one day they will exist.
Reviews
Multiple Sclerosis - The Many Faces of The Disease
by Kathy Reed
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Review The Book
As someone who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I knew that this book would be something that I would either love or hate. I tend to be very harsh on anything that comes out discussing this disease, simply because I have it and know the facts. While no 2 people with MS are the same, we do share many similar symptoms. All too often the first words you read in any book on MS is "MS doesn't kill people" and while this may be true to some degree, it angers me because it's like saying "that Mac truck didn't kill him when it hit him"... technically it didn't, but the results OF that hit were what killed him and often the symptoms of MS are what take someone down. That doesn't mean we have a death sentence, I'm proof of that, but don't dismiss the disease with such nonchalant comments. Of course that's my opinion, but I'll stand by it! So, when Reed's book didn't start out with this big introduction of how MS isn't a death sentence, I was impressed on that fact alone!
Multiple Sclerosis - The Many Faces of the Disease is really a wonderful book to keep handy for anyone who has MS, especially when someone comes into your life and is clueless what MS is really about. While I personally didn't find it helpful for my own use, simply because I've had the disease for so long, I would have LOVED having it available to me at the time of my diagnosis. I wish I had known about it or had it available when I was diagnosed in 1995! For this reason alone, I highly recommend the book to anyone newly diagnosed with the disease or with anyone who's recently come into the life of someone with MS. You need to know the truth, the facts and the stories behind the faces of MS and Reed provides just this opportunity!
Reed has some particular cases she talks about, discusses the disease itself in the most basic of ways and gives some pretty comprehensible descriptions of what MS is and how it can act. The book is small, concise and covers just about every aspect you can imagine about MS from what the disease is to what some people can do to keep the disease under control. It's honest and not at all frightening to the reader, which is a huge plus with this disease. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to explain the disease to someone in their life (children, spouse, family, new romantic partner, co-workers) that could really use some enlightenment on what MS is and how it works. Keep a copy in your library if you have MS or better yet, if you know someone who has MS that may need the help in explaining this confusing disease and all it presents to their life to someone they care about.
Kudos Ms. Reed in a book that was well thought out, well written and simple yet concise!
Reviewed on 04/19/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Beverly Pechin
