MS Madneess by Yvonne deSousa

Yvonne deSousa's diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis came with an insightful declaration from a new doctor ("MS sucks") and a brother's helpful advice ("You could totally get one of those handicapped parking plates now"). What followed was a year of MS-adventures: "accidentally" kicking an officious male doctor in the crotch, becoming an undercover agent to pay for medication made from Chinese hamster ovary cells, discovering the amazing effects of legal speed, and battling her arch-nemesis, the dreaded food group: vegetables. Throughout her MS journey, Yvonne learned how to use humor to find acceptance in her diagnosis, and how to smile in the face of a debilitating chronic illness. MS Madness will make you laugh while learning the real story of what MS, a disease that affects 400,000 Americans daily, can do to a perfectly normal person. Life with multiple sclerosis can be daunting, but Yvonne shares her giggles at the bizarre world she has unwittingly entered and the new perspectives it has given her on life. MS Madness makes us realize that with a sense of humor, we can survive anything.


  

Review: I loved this book. As a fellow MSer I related to this book so much it was like looking in the mirror when Yvonne was talking about things like how she hated K-Mart because of how the lighting bothered her and her meltdown at the cell phone store I could totally relate to what she was saying. Been there done that. The book was also so refreshing with the humor that was in it. I am not sure if I will ever be able to look at those shots the same again without thinking about Chinese hamster ovaries but luckily for me I am on an oral medication and will not break out laughing every time I take my medication.
As an MS patient I can honestly say that we need books like this on the market so people can read about what someone else is going through and see how they are able to look at the positive side of MS and laugh in it's face. So many of us who are newly diagnosed are so scared we get too depressed too look at the other side of MS that it is not that bad unless you let it beat you and that is the message I got out of this book and that is a message I wish I would have had 10 years ago when I was first told I had MS. I think I would have avoided some bad years if I had book like this or a positive person like Yvonne telling me to try to laugh along with my tears. This is a great book for the MS community to give them hope and to remind them laughter is the best medicine. I thank you for this book. 

Needless to say this is a five star rating from me.