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Living With Multiple Sclerosis

Credit Mike Marques / Mike Marques Photography
/
Mike Marques Photography
Ciara Rivera Gonzalez of Wethersfield, Connecticut was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was 16.

  

The actresses Teri Garr and Annette Funicello, the television hosts Montel Williams and Neil Cavuto, the writer Joan Didion, Ann Romney, the wife of the presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the comedian Richard Pryor. These are some of the people that you quote-unquote know that have, or in Pryor's case had, Multiple Sclerosis.

The disease was first identified and named almost 150 years ago but we're still not sure what causes it and we don't know how to cure it.  

There are roughly 6,000 people in Connecticut and you almost certainly know somebody with MS but you probably don't know much about it. You probably don't know there are four variants of it, or what life is like with it. 

So, today we decided to find out. Meet your neighbors, the doctor who treats them, and a photographer swept up in their stories. 

Mike Marques photography exhibit, i am a MoSaic follows 46 Connecticut residents who are living with MS.  You can view his photographs  at West Hartford's Mandell Jewish Community Center through March 3, 2014. 

You can attend MS Action Day on Tuesday, March 4, at 11:00 am at the State Capitol.

Leave your comments below, email us at colin@wnpr.org, or tweet us @wnprcolin.

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Peter Wade is a neurologist at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Medical Director for the Mandell Multiple Sclerosis Center at Mt. Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Mike Marques is a portrait and lifestyle photographer based in West Hartford
  • Lynn Johnson is a Hartford-based psychotherapist and teacher of meditation at the Center for Serenity
  • Paul O’Brien is a former actor and human resources executive. He currently runs a support group for people with MS and is active with the MS Society and planning April’s Connecticut MS Walk

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.