Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MS Society rant: Just have to get this off my chest

The National MS Society tries so hard to put a positive spin on MS and it just about makes me crazy. I just saw their latest video with vibrant folks biking to frenetic music with the lyrics 'I like to move it, move it"
For those of us who've permanently lost mobility this should be, "I'd like to move it"
Maybe the MS Society could serve the sicker members of the community more publicly if they started using a disclaimer or warning on any images that portray realistically what life is like with advancing MS. I envision the following commercial:
First, a text block that reads "The following ad contains images of life with MS that may be disturbing to those who only want to see MS in a positive, uplifting manner. And those who would like to ignore the world of the many MSers whose lives are profoundly impacted by the disease" Then some type of quiet music, with the lyrics, "I would like to move it, move it." And a close up shot of my shaking left hand trying to hold a pencil. Scanning to me slide transferring to my wheelchair and then to the toilet and illustrating how hard it is to pull down your pants when your leaky bladder is full and your hands and arms don't work too well. Then pan to an outside shot of me rolling through my neighborhood for a round the block dog walk. Closing with the 2-hour nap that the 10 minutes outdoors costs me.
Yeah, life with MS can be bike riding, glowing, shangri la. But, the MS Society needs to show the 'darker side of MS too!

1 comment:

Lisa Emrich said...

I agree that the video was very glitzy and I don't believe that any of the people featured actually have MS. More interested in creating awareness for fundraising purposes.

It's tough to visualize how to represent all of us with MS who look so different on the outside according to our mobility abilities. I'm good on a bike for about 15 minutes before my legs become jello-like.

It's tough.