Disclosure of MS

[Guest guest]

It was 11 years ago this week when I learned that I probably had MS and I didn't know who I should tell. I was in a real tough spot because my wife had been diagnosed with MS 8 years earlier and she was quite disabled from it. I didn't really care who knew I had MS with the exception of my two children. My boys were age 19 and 11 at the time and they had watched MS cripple their mother over the past few years so I didn't know how I was going to tell them that I had the same disease. A few family members knew that I had MS and before long many people knew it. It's the old "I won't tell anybody!" but soon the world knows. I didn't want my kids hearing this devastating news from an outside source so I decided to tell them. My oldest son was in college so I broke the news to him while giving him a ride back to school. Needless to say he was in shock but he handled the news pretty well. We were both concerned about how his younger brother was going to take the news so we decided to hold off for awhile. Word travels fast in a small town so within a few months I realized that I had to tell my younger son. I took him out to eat and after the meal I broke the news to him. I'll never forget the fear that I saw in his eyes when he heard the news. I sat with him for over an hour and told him what I could about MS. I explained that the disease took a different course in everyone and asked him if he would have known that I had MS if I hadn't told him. He told me that he couldn't and I told him that I'd do my best to keep it that way. Looking back, I would have to say that my kids took the news better than anyone else. Many people, family and friends, just ran away from the situation and cut me out of their lives but my kids have always been there for me. Let's face it, there's not much that anyone else can do for you if you have MS but running away is the worst thing that people can do. Many people treat MS like it's leprocy, which makes the disease only that much harder to deal with. Yes, both my wife and I were stricken by MS but I didn't catch it from her. We probably both got it from something in the environment, the same environment that everyone else is subjected to so nobody is immune. I'm getting off subject and my anger is showing so I'd better close. I'm not really angry that I have MS or even that both my wife and I have it. I'm very angry at how the rest of the world treats those of us who have MS. They treat us as if we should lock ourselves in a room and not bother with the world outside. I don't think so! Best Wishes,