Tavis Smiley . Special Feature . Road to Health . Guest . Teri Garr

Teri Garr

Actress/Author

I figure if you get a diagnosis of something like this, there's one of two ways to go. You can laugh, or you can cry. So I figured I might as well be up about it.

Q: Why did it take 20 years to diagnose you with multiple sclerosis?

Well I think they didn't have the diagnostic techniques that they do now. I would get symptoms, and they would go away. So I thought, oh, well, this is just like a sty, or cold sore; it's gone. Then it would come back later.

Q: How do you keep a sense of humor through all of this?

I figure if you get a diagnosis of something like this, there's one of two ways to go. You go down or you can go up. You can look at the funny side of it, you can laugh or you can cry. So I figured I might as well be up about it.

In '02, actress Teri Garr announced that she'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has since become an advocate in raising awareness for the disease. In her new memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, she talks about living with MS and not forgetting to laugh.

Related Episode

November 9th, 2005

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Recommended Web Sites

Plaintalk, a brochure developed through the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, explores some of the challenges families face and how others have handled them.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America has an array of programs that provide ongoing support and direct services to people with MS and their families.

The nonprofit Multiple Sclerosis Foundation provides comprehensive support and educational programs and online resource links.

Published: September 15, 2005