Learning About MS In My Sleep

I woke up Sunday morning at 4:45 and thought about going running. I thought better and turned on the radio to the local NPR station. While drifting in and out of sleep, catching bits and pieces of Terry Gross, Elvis Mitchell (former Detroit boy) and the Motley Fools, I seem to remember something about Multiple Sclerosis.

After going back to the program grid online, I discovered that a program called, The Infinite Mind had covered an hour’s worth of the topic of MS.

As the fog of sleep may keep me from remembering the details of the program, the miracle of the Internet couldn’t hold back my education. I’ll be first to admit, I didn’t know much about the subject.

The show was great for giving a good overview of the MS, what is known, and what isn’t. There were a variety of guest experts and people with MS.

The host of The Infinite Mind, Dr. Peter Kramer, asked many of the people on the show how they felt when they learned that they had MS. I wasn’t prepared for the range of responses; in many cases, it was relief. It turns out that not knowing what’s wrong, having people think you’re crazy, and not having it be a worse prognosis were the alternatives.

The show ended with a commentary by Zoe Koplowitz, author of Winning Spirit: Life Lessons Learned in Last Place. Zoe was diagnosed with MS in 1973 and basically did her best to live with it for the next fifteen years.

It wasn’t until the late 1980’s, when she had a near-death experience that caused her to change the way she was living her life. Between 1988 and 2002 she’s completed 16 marathons, all in last place, and averaging 28 hours each. I won’t belabor the details. Needless to say, for those of us whose only issue is the magnetic attraction with the couch, Zoe’s is a very humbling story.

So, I did go running in the afternoon.

You can read more about MS, and listen to the show here: http://www.lcmedia.com/mind366.htm