Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease that attacks the body’s central nervous system. Its symptoms vary across patients, causing chronic pain, numbness, and difficulty walking and seeing. Without a cure, those diagnosed with the disease have to make many lifestyle changes in order to accommodate and manage their symptoms. Living with MS is not easy, but many patients, including celebrities, use their diagnoses to raise awareness and help one another manage symptoms. Many celebrities with MS use their fame and fortune to fund cure campaigns and inspire other patients to continue living and pursue their dreams despite their diagnoses.
Michaele Salahi
As one of the Real Housewives of DC, Michaele shows patients with MS that their lives don’t have to be anything less than extraordinary after she crashed a dinner party at the White House in 2009. Although she kept her MS a secret for 17 years, she now uses her infamous fame to raise awareness.
Montel Williams
After learning that he had MS, Montel Williams - a television personality and radio talk show host - opened a foundation focused on funding MS research and finding a cure. He often discussed the disease and his symptoms on television, starting a discussion and raising awareness among patients and their families.
Clay Walker
Country music star Clay Walker has become an advocate for a cure. At the beginning of his diagnosis he was unable to feel or use his right arm or right leg. After treatments, he regained the use of his limbs and now, 15 years later, he continues to raise awareness of the disease and works with children who suffer from MS, AIDS, and HIV.
Teri Garr
As an actress known for her role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Teri has also used her fame to raise awareness by appearing on numerous talk shows to discuss her symptoms. She lived with her symptoms for over a decade before being diagnosed with MS, and hearing her discuss her symptoms in public has helped many other patients realize their disease and receive help.
Trevor Bayne
A Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis did not slow Trevor down. He went on to win the Daytona 500 in 2011 and continues to be one of the youngest racers competing at that level. His achievements act as a testament to everyone with the disease that a healthy, comfortable lifestyle is possible. He has toured the country spreading awareness for the MS community.
Victoria Williams
As the head of the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, singer-songwriter Victoria Williams uses music to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. She focuses on medication, treatments, and finding a cure for MS and many other diseases. She used her music to pay for her own medical bills when she was first diagnosed, and continues to use her success as a means to help other patients.
Annette Funicello
As one of the original Mouseketeers in the Mickey Mouse Club, Annette went public with her diagnosis in the early 90s. There were rumors that her difficulty walking was caused by alcoholism, and Annette went public with her MS to clear up these stories and raise awareness for the extensive range of symptoms Multiple Sclerosis can cause. In 1993 she opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders to help find a cure for MS and many other neurological diseases.
Jack Osbourne
Son of famous rocker Ozzy, Jack was diagnosed with MS after he lost sight in his right eye. He advocates for the use of holistic therapies when it comes to the treatment of his MS. His positivity acts as a motivational tool for other patients, and he consistently updates his Twitter and other social media outlets with his on-going progress and achievements.
Richard Cohen
Author and journalist Richard Cohen was diagnosed with MS when he was 25. Both his father and his grandfather suffered from the disease. Presently, his symptoms have worsened due to the effects of secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. His experiences have built awareness around the genetic influence and on-going effects the disease has on an aging body and has led to many developments toward a cure.
Ann Romney
As wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Ann did not let her diagnosis slow her down on the campaign trail. She openly discussed her diagnosis and her symptoms in each city her and her husband visited. Today, she is an advocate for animal therapy as a way to manage symptoms. She is particularly fond of horse therapy and boasts that it has helped her overcome the fatigue and pain caused by her MS.
A diagnosis is not an automatic limitation. These celebrities with MS use their fame to not only raise awareness but also prove that a healthy, robust lifestyle is possible. Most patients diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis effectively manage their symptoms and live their lives to the fullest without fame and fortune. These celebrities simply use their place in the spotlight to emphasize that success is possible while living with MS.