My Story: A Photographic Essay on Life with Multiple Sclerosis - Softcover

In a series of dramatic essays and photographs by the renowned San Francisco-based photographer Amelia Davis, My Story is an evocative description of what it is like to live with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects about 350,000 Americans and whose cause is still not entirely known. The essays and accompanying photographs in this highly engaging, beautifully illustrated book poignantly portray the lives of thirty-two men and women from the ages of seventeen to seventy and of various ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds who share the challenge of living with MS. Some, like Amelia, use no mobility aids, while others use canes, wheelchairs, or electric scooters. All have had to face the challenges and limitations that MS has imposed upon their lives, and each has devised unique and often creative coping strategies. Accompanying each essay are commentaries by family members and friends that express their own personal feelings and experiences of living with this disease. Here are the inspirational stories of women, men, and children who live with this disease. Many have children; one or two are currently expecting them. Treatments and therapies for slowing the progression of the disease are revealed and shared, from the latest advances in prescription medication to alternative methods of coping, including yoga, exercise and competitive sports, creative activities such as writing and art, and even community activism. A wide range of accompanying stories by spouses, children, and other loved ones depict the ups and downs of living and caring for someone who has MS, from the moment of first diagnosis to dealing with its ongoing challenges. All are strong reminders of the selflessness of the human spirit, and its ability to nurture and remain strong under even adverse circumstances. Highly motivating and deeply inspirational, My Story will be welcomed by anyone who lives with or shares the life of someone who has MS.

Amelia Davis - Amelia Davis is a native San Franciscan. As a freelance photographer, she has shown her work in fine art galleries, universities, and at medical symposia. Her photographs have been published in literary and art magazines and in textbooks. They deal with life's realities head on, and force the viewer to confront them. Amelia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998.