Stories of Inspiration: "When The Road Turns"

return to her past life with renewed enthusiasm and vigor. But first she must learn to walk again. Upon her release, Debi participates in a five mile MS walk, begins a modeling career, and then signs up to participate in the Miss Massachusetts contest

Dr. Richard Radkte is an incredible example of personal power and creativity. Paralyzed from the neck down, Dr. Radkte continues to work as a world-renowned oceanographer, traveling to every corner and pocket of the world. He was the first disabled man to reach the South Pole. He also devotes much of his time to helping children with disabilities realize a life for themselves

Barbara Sullivan- Roehrig is a corporate ladder climber and tries to hide her illness after she is diagnosed. She agrees to appear in an HBO documentary about chronic illness--but only in a disguise.

Barbara learns a powerful lesson about the role of denial in our lives. A wonderful chapter about coming to terms with our illness. In this picture, Barbara is on a safari with Adventures Within, an organization aimed at getting people with MS out into the world to experience what "they can do." You can read about all seventeen chapters at my website: Oncapecod.net/ms.

4. Multiple sclerosis is notoriously unpredictable, encompassing a broad array of symptoms and levels of disability. Does the book include stories that illustrate the mild-to-debilitating forms of MS, or is the focus primarily on stories of people who are relatively symptom-free?

"What makes this book so real, I think, is that all levels and stages of MS are represented. Being a hero--as one of our writers pointed out in his chapter -- doesn't necessarily include physical acts that are observable by others. In fact, some of the more inspiring writers in the book have lived with MS for many years and their disability is more pronounced. They are the elder tribesmen, so to speak, and have great wisdom and a mature point of view to contribute.

"But, balance was certainly needed. Not everyone with MS has visible symptoms. It was equally important to include those people who are active and relatively symptom-free. The truth about MS--that there are people living with this disease on both ends of the spectrum -- can be scary. And my intention was not to scare anyone, but to depict the disease in all of its stages and manifestations. One chapter will take you to

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