I’m back today as we have a breather, no doctor’s appointments or any place to be so I have some time for me. When you live in Littletown as I do and must drive at least an hour for anything then it really does eat into your time and with the cost of gas it can become a financial issue if you do not manage things well. I have learned to schedule my trips and accomplish several things in one trip, I am no longer the Spoiled City Brat I was when I first got here. I am adjusting once again to living in Littletown where everyone knows everything about everyone before you do if that is possible.

I had shared with you this is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and said I would be posting from time to time about MS. Today I am going to show you that MS does not discriminate, even very famous people have this disease. So take a look and see just how many people’s names you recognize on here that have MS that you did not know that have it or have a family member with it.

A

Jacqueline Creed Archer - Civil rights activist
Javier Artero - Spanish soccer player
Louise Arters - Actress (one of the Sparkle Twins)
April Arvan - Basketball Coach

B

Stan Belinda - baseball player
Richard Berghammer - Wildlife Painter
Jackie Bertone - percussionist for Beach Boys and others
Michael Blake - Hollywood screenwriter, “Dances with Wolves”
Bill Bradbury - Secretary of State of Oregon (running for senator)
Rachelle Breslow - author
Martin Bruch - Photographer
Deborah Bruening - writer
Clive Burr - Iron Maiden Drummer

C

Dan Carnevale - American Footballer
Neil Cavuto - lead anchor on Fox News Channel
Donal Coghlan - singer/songwriter
Richard Cohen - journalist (married to actress Meridith Viera)
Sean Coman (aka Sean Donahue) - Californian disk jockey
Luca Coscione - Italian Politician
Charlie Courtauld - British newspaper columnist (Independent on Sunday)
Carrel Cowan-Ricks - historical archaeologist and anthropologist
Guido Crepax - Italian comic
Betty Cuthbert - Olympic Gold Medallist, Sprinting

D

Deanna Davis - Basketball player and coach
Denise Davis - Singer
Sir Augustus Frederic D’Este (1794-1848) - grandson of King George III of England, 1st documented case of MS
Joan Didion - writer and director
Bruno Tassan Din - Italian publisher
Wayne Dobson - magician
Deborah Downey - Cabaret Performer
Khiawatha Downey - American Footballer
Jacqueline du Pre - cellist
Frank DuBois - New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture 1989-, champion teamroper
Michel Dupuis - Canadian football player (linebacker for Ottawa, Winnipeg & Toronto)
Michael R. Duval - Investment Banker and White House Lawyer Under Nixon and Ford

E

Allan Eagleson - Hockey impresario & lawyer
Stanley Elkin - writer

F

Donna Fargo - Country and western singer
Lola Folana - singer
Bryan Forbes - actor, writer, director (married to Nanette Newman)
Michael Frimkess - Potter
Annette Funicello - singer, dancer, former Mouseketeer

G

Roman Gabriel - American football player (Los Angeles Rams 1962-72)
Teri Garr - Actress (Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, Close Encounters and others)
Sarah P. Gibbs - Biologist - Winner of 2003 Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal
Brenda Gildehaus - champion BMX bike rider
Marianne Gingrich - ex-wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Chrystal Gomes - stand up comedienne
Beverly Graham - singer, charity worker
Judy Graham - author
Judy Grahn - poet
Nicola Griffith - Author
Robin Gurr - poet

H

William Hartnell - British actor (the first Doctor Who)
Joseph Hartzler - Chief prosecutor for the Oklahoma bombing case
Eve Hayes - actress
Heinrich Heine - German poet (1797-1856) posthumously diagnosed with MS
Stewart Henry - UK disc-jockey
Lucien Hervé - Architectural Photographer
Jimmy Heuga - Olympic skier
Lena Horne - Actress and singer
Alastair Hignell - International Rugby Player, Cricketer and BBC Sports Commentator
Fred Hughes - Andy Warhol’s financeer and manager
David Humm - NFL quarterback, Oakland Raiders

I

Frieda Inescort - actress
Ivalio Iordanov - Bulgarian International soccer player
Brian Irvine - Scottish soccer player

J

Valerie Jankowski Skrabut - artist and musician.
Barbara Jordan - Congress woman, professor, civil rights activist

K

Jonathan Katz - Comedian
Hal Ketchum - Country & Western Singer
Johnny Killen - 1960s singer
Susan Kisslinger - Author
Stanley Knowles - Canadian Politician (1942-1984)

L

David “Squiggy” Lander - actor in the American TV show “Laverne & Shirley,”
Carl Laemmle, Jr. - film producer and son of the founder of Universal Studios
Ronnie Lane - musician with The Faces (Rod Stewart’s old band)
James LaRocca - Guitarist with MS
Melanie Lawson - Anchorwoman, Ch.13 Houston
Margaret Leighton - British actress
Wendy Lill - Canadian Politician
Kathryn Lindskoog - author
Lydwina of Schieden - Dutch patron Saint of Ice Skaters (1400AD) The earliest written record of someone with MS

M

Ernie McAlister - US Politician
Roger MacDougall - British playwright
David Maclean - UK Conservative MP - Chief Whip
Fiona MacTaggart - British Politician (Labour MP for Slough)
Nancy Mairs - novelist
Natalie Mandzhavidze - NASA Physicist
Maureen Manley - Olympic Cyclist
Emily Mann - director and playwright
Diana Markham - Novelist
Miquel Martm i Pol - Catalan poet
Maxine Mesinger - Newspaper gossip columnist, Houston Chronicle
Laura Mitchell - Public policy analyst, consultant and writer
Mary Mullarkey - Colorado State Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Mythen - cartoonist and writer

N

William Newman - artist
Ken Novak - Basketball coach
Paul Novoselick - Chronicle staff writer and columnist

O

Cindy O’Connor - Poet
Alan Osmond - Singer in Osmond Brothers
Jim Oelschlager - financeer and philanathropist

P

John Pageler - author
Lisa Peck - Mountain bike rider (5th in 2000 Masters World Mountain Bike Championships)
Jim Poulin - Basketball Coach
Richard Pryor - comedian and actor

Q

Richard Queen - Iran hostage

R

Richard Radtke - Scientist and Winner Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering
Adam Riedy - US Speed Skater
Madeline Rhue - Actress
John Robson - Footballer
Doug Robinson - Novelist
Fausto Rocha - Brazilian TV Actor
Ronald Rogers - Concert Pianist
Wendy Carol Roth - Television producer, writer and Advocate for the Disabled

S

James Scofield - poet
Eric Simons - mountaineer
Dean Singleton - Newspaper Magnate
Keith Snyder - composer, performer, and author
Henry Steele - Basketball Player
Stephanie Stephens - golfer
Kevin Stevenson - Singer/Guitarist
Karen G. Stone - Author
Sharon Summerall - model (married to Don Henley (singer with The Eagles)
Kelly Sutton - racing driver
Joan Sweeney - children’s author
Mike Szymanski - entertainment writer and managing editor of zap2it.com

T

Tamia - R&B singer (Grammy Nominee)
David “Teddy” Thomas - Cricketer
Mitch Terpstra - Athlete and Althetics Coach
Bobby Thompson - Banjoist
Joe Torsella - US Politician
Larry Tucker - Film and TV writer and producer (incl. The Monkees, Alice B. Toklas and Bob & Carol)

V

Norah Vincent - Journalist

W

Wally Wakefield - Ski jumper and sports columnist
Jackie Waldman - Author and motivational speaker
Clay Walker - Country and western singer
Danny Wallace - Soccer Player
Clifford T.Ward - Singer/songwriter
Rich Warden - Racecar Driver
Robert “Wingnut” Weaver - Actor
Maggie Weder - Golfer
Cathy Weis - Dancer
Paul Wellstone - US Senator, Minnesota
Stephen White - Author
Paul Willey - Virtual Golf Champion
Montel Williams - talk show host and actor
Victoria Williams - Singer
Victor Willing - Artist
Paul Wolfskehl - 19th century German industrialist and amateur mathematician

Relatives

Wade Boggs’ (baseball player) sister
Gloria Estefan’s (singer) father
Marg Helgenberger’s (actress) father
Tommy Hilfiger’s (designer) sister
Larry Kane’s (TV news anchorman) mother
Chris Moss’s (basketball player) mother
Patty Murray’s (US senator) father
Stone Phillips’ (Dateline NBC) wife
J K Rowling’s (author of the Harry Potter stories) mother
Adam Sandler’s (comedian/actor) Cousin
Daniel J. Travanti’s (actor) brother
Eddie Vedder’s (Pearl Jam) father
Henry “Gizmo” Williams (American footballer) mother

This information was obtained from the Multiple Sclerosis Organization. I am going to share the lyrics I have decided today’s song will be from someone who understands me well for he lives with this disease and he has formed The Band Against MS and my friend Joe you will approve of him. Come on now give a big hand to my friend Clay Walker…

Artist/Band: Walker Clay
Lyrics for Song: Live Until I Die
Lyrics for Album: Greatest Hits
Skippin´ rocks, skippin´ rope
Laughin´ at all my best friends jokes
Things I loved when I was a kid
Muddy roads, muddy feet
I didn´t live on no blacktop street
Things have changed a lot but I never did

And I don´t wanna think about tomorrow
I don´t need anything money can buy
I don´t have to beg, steal, or borrow
I just wanna live until I die

Livin´ right, livin´ in this little old town I grew up in
But I still held on to my dreams
Standin´ proud, standin´ tall
Standin´ smack dab in the middle of it all
I don´t worry ´bout things that I can´t change

And I don´t wanna think about tomorrow
I don´t need anything money can buy
I don´t have to beg, steal, or borrow
I just wanna live until I die

And everything around me are
Things I dearly love
And every night I get on my knees and thank
The Lord above

And I don´t wanna think about tomorrow
I don´t need anything money can buy
I don´t have to beg, steal, or borrow
I just wanna live until I die

I don´t have to beg, steal, or borrow
I just wanna live until I die

Yes I do believe that I just wanna live until I die but in doing so I want to be able to say Life Is Simply Good.

Now I would like for you to play along with me here and just try to imagine yourself in this position. You woke up one day with no vision in your right eye and it was the week of Thanksgiving. That is what happened to me in November 1989, I had double vision followed by darkness. This will stick in my mind for a very long time since it was a holiday weekend the chances of me getting answers were slim. I was lucky someone was looking out for me , I was seen by four different physicians, had all the tests and was given the answer before the holiday. I was even told it would get worse. for there was no treatment. Remeember I hve MS and it 1989 none of the drugs had yet been approved by the FDA. So many things have changed in a very short time and are changing every day. I call this my MonSter but it really is the MyStery disease. I bet almost everyone knows someone who this impacts their life in some way but yet still so little is done for so many and at times it breaks my heart because I want to do so much but do so little. So come on now Live……Enjoy Life….