Montel Williams - I have MS. It doesn’t have Me

Jun 21, 2010 | Stacy Matson | Celebrity Health
Montel Williams - I have MS.  It doesn’t have Me

image by: David Shankbone

I have one of the biggest mouths on this planet, and I decided to keep using it until everyone, everywhere, knows about MS, what can be done to fight it, and a cure is found - Montel Williams

'You have MS.' Those were the three words that devastated Montel Williams. The 54 year-old former TV talk show host says, 'I'd heard of Multiple Sclerosis, but I didn't really know what it was. I knew it meant excruciating pain and that eventually I could lose control of my body. I also knew there was no cure. That was enough to plunge me into the depths of despair. I thought the diagnosis was a death sentence.' Montel said the two months following his diagnosis were the darkest moments of his life. He became despondent and attempted suicide twice - once with a gun and once by walking in front of a taxi.

After the failed suicide attempts it became clear to Montel that he had a choice to make. He could spend the rest of his life feeling sorry for himself, or he “could view his illness as a call to action.” And that is exactly what he did.  As the host of a national TV talk show, Montel realized he had the means and the method to get the most up-to-date information available on MS from the world’s top doctors and spread the word. 

Montel says, “I have one of the biggest mouths on this planet, and I decided to keep using it until everyone, everywhere, knows about MS, what can be done to fight it, and a cure is found.” His decision to go public didn’t come without risk though because in Hollywood, a physical handicap can be a career death sentence. But despite the warnings from his agents and managers Montel took that risk and announced to the world he was fighting MS.

After the announcement, Montel said he was overwhelmed by the positive feedback from his audience and motivated to do more. He started The Montel Williams MS Foundation, the One Dollar, One Step Closer to a Cure campaign and Songs for a Cure.  To date, Montel has raised more than 1.5 million dollars for MS research. He’s also joined forces with Partnership for Prescription Assistance to help those that are uninsured, underinsured, or low-income receive free or reduced-cost medications. 

Montel Williams may be the most outspoken celebrity with MS, but there are many famous people affected by the disease as well: Fox Business News anchor Neil Cavuto, country singer Clay Walker, Annette Funicello, Terri Garr, Lena Horne, David Lander (Squiggy), and Richard Pryor. Just to name a few.

MS is a chronic debilitating neurological disease in which the body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath (myelin) that covers the nerves. This results in the formation of dense, scar-like tissue. The scar tissue affects the way electrical impulses travel along the nerves, interrupting the signals coming to and from the brain and spinal cord. Ultimately, this can result in deterioration of the nerves themselves, a process that is not reversible and is quite painful.

Symptoms of MS vary widely but include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, typically on one side of the body at a time, partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement, double vision or blurring of vision, tingling or pain in parts of your body, electric-shock sensations that occur with certain head movements, tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait, fatigue, and dizziness. People with severe cases of MS may eventually lose the ability to walk or speak completely.

Multiple sclerosis is often difficult to diagnose early in the course of the disease because symptoms come and go - sometimes disappearing for months at a time.  Every hour someone in the world is diagnosed with MS.  In the United States there are approximately 400,000 people living with it and an estimated 10,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.  Although MS can occur at any age, it most often affects people between the ages of 20 and 40 and more than three-quarters of those diagnosed are women. 

Treatment options for MS include steroids and prednisone to reduce inflammation, manage symptoms, and treat flare-ups. And interferons to fight viral infections and help regulate the immune system.  Diet and exercise are crucial as well.  A well-balanced and carefully planned diet low in saturated fats and supplemented by Omega 3s (fish, cod-liver oil, or flaxseed oil) may help alleviate inflammation. Exercise may be more difficult with MS but is very helpful in managing many symptoms and maintaining muscle strength. And with the right combination of medications, good health practices and treatments people with this condition can live happy, productive and fulfilling lives.

Currently, there is no cure for MS, but research continues. However, as described in the exclusive HealthWorldNet article 'Multiple Sclerosis: Could This Be The Cure', a new theory and possible treatment for MS was put forward by an Italian doctor that can change the established concept of MS being an autoimmune disease". The theory and treatment are now causing a media frenzy, raising patients’ hopes, and sending both the support and research organizations, to put it mildly, into a state of panic.


Stacy Matson is a health enthusiast from Southern California and regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.

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