At the age of twenty eight, Conor Devine had a
fantastic life by any measure. With a supportive family
and a great career, he had just married Kate, the love
of his life. The young couple honeymooned on the
tropical island of Mauritius, but on the first day of
their new life, disaster struck. Conor’s body came under
attack by a mysterious virus, confining him to the
hospital for the rest of his visit. Within a year, he
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The disease
brought his world to a halt. How would he support his
family? How would he carry out his life confined to a
wheelchair? How could this happen to a healthy young
man? He lived in a world filled with questions and void
of any answers. As Conor lays out, multiple sclerosis,
or MS, is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty
sheaths that protect and cover nerve cells are damaged.
This leads to a broad spectrum of symptoms including
tremors, muscle spasms, loss of balance, numbness,
slurred speech, and uncontrollable eye movements. As the
disease progressed, Conor worked out a plan to begin
rebuilding his life. After three years of struggling
with on-again, off-again attacks, the young man decided
he needed to formulate a strategy to regain control of
his brain. Using a three-point plan, he mapped out a
framework to beat multiple sclerosis and begin living
and dreaming once more. This inspiring account will
motivate others to examine their own lives and see what
improvements can be made when everything else seems
hopeless. As the author admits, MS symptoms and severity
vary widely from person to person. His story of recovery
may be just as valid as the more severe sufferer who
takes pride in being able to walk just a few steps every
day. Ultimately, Attitude is Everything: My MS Story
will appeal to a broad range of readers looking for an
inspirational tale that demonstrates the great power of
summoning a positive attitude to confront life’s
problems.
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