The Late Late Show - MS Awareness

Its 9 days since i appeared on the LateLate show, Ireland's number one talk show and i have to say that i got an incredible reaction from the general public.  For the benefit of the reader, i want to share with you my motivation for doing the show, writing my book and being very vocal about my MS journey.  The reason is very simple;

When  i first got my symptoms 6 years ago, i had no idea what was happening to me.  For 12 months, i thought i was dying and was slipping into a dark hole.  When i got diagnosed my world completely fell apart.  There was very little information available on MS, the medical profession are quiet on it, and the only MS stories you tend to hear are really sad and negative accounts.  It took me nearly 3 years to work out that despite an MS diagnosis, you can still go on to have an incredible life.  I searched the net and there was no one in Ireland, the UK, or even Europe who was publicly out there and sharing a positive story.  I then found one guy called "Montel Williams" in the USA and it was through his positive lifestyle that led me to others who were also doing well.

So in short, the reason why i am committed to raising the profile of MS and MS Awareness, is that i now know that if other MS patients see my story, it can inspire them and give them some hope that they too can go on and do very well.  If you have no hope you have nothing. 

Since the show, i have received over 500 emails from people across the country and further afield all saying that it was fantastic to see someone with MS on the Late Late Show, sharing a positive story. I received emails from MS sufferers, family members, husbands and wives all who got some strength from my story.  I have to say that this feeling is very gratifying and is the reason why i will continue to shout high and low on behalf of MS'ers out there.

You can contact me through my website at info@conordevine.com

My book is now available from www.createspace.com/3919791

Keep well everyone

#AttutudeIsEverything

Who Has The Right To Die? :: #MarieFleming Case

I wrote this piece today for the Irish Independent.

The International press gathered at Dublin High Courts on Thursday of this week, to listen to Judge Nicholas Kearns give his verdict on the Marie Fleming “Right to die case”.  Mrs Fleming, a 59 year old former university lecturer suffers from a very severe form of Multiple Sclerosis that has left her in extremely poor health and paralysed.   She has brought her case before the courts making an impassioned plea to establish the right of her partner of 18 years to help her die, an act that could currently see him jailed.  

Assisted suicide is permitted in four European countries Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The debate has played out through recent high-profile court cases in neighbouring Britain, where three people all failed in bids to win legal assistance to die.  

I think everyone would agree that this is a particularly devastating case for Mrs Fleming, her partner and wider family connections and also I would suggest the members of the court who ultimately have to tell this lady what is lawful and acceptable in Irish society, knowing that her quality of life is so bad she is advocating such an extreme measure.

There is no doubt this case has gripped the nation and as a young person six years into a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, I am particularly interested for a range of reasons. I have to say that in some small way I can feel an element of Mrs Flemings pain.  MS can be a really nasty neurological condition and is very prevalent across Ireland.  It is a progressive condition generally and unfortunately Mrs Fleming is in the severely affected category.

Judge Nicholas Kearns said Mrs Fleming was the most remarkable witness any member of the court had encountered and acknowledged that her life has been "rendered miserable" after being "ravaged by an insidious disease".

However, he said it would be impossible to tailor legislation governing assisted suicide on an individual basis and doing so would be harmful to the public interest in protecting the most vulnerable members of society

In many ways there was no right or wrong outcome in a particularly poignant and heart wrenching case of this nature.  If the courts allowed Mrs Flemings partner to assist her in dying, there may have been for one, public outcry and if they turned down the application, Mrs Flemings daily suffering would have to continue and she and her family would leave the courts, in pieces.

Personally I feel life is a gift and although I have no understanding of how miserable and painful Mrs Flemings life had become, my own view would be that the courts had no alternative but to turn down the application.  I do feel that although Mrs Flemings case was so genuine and morally you could argue allowing her partner to assist her with dying peacefully was the correct thing to do; you may have hundreds of these types of cases in the years to come.  The issue would be where would you draw the line and if there was one case that slipped the net, what a great shame that would be.  So on those grounds I have to air on the side of the courts.

When I was diagnosed with MS in 2007, my world fell apart.  I was a young man in the prime of my life and those two words in a twenty minute appointment in a Belfast office changed my life forever.  For the next three years I was in a dark place, slipping deeper and deeper into a depressive state.  The illness had robbed me of my career, my family, my health and my dreams.  I had chronic negative thoughts as my symptoms got more difficult to deal with.  In a small way I can understand how Marie is feeling as at times I couldn’t really face the world and didn’t want to go on.  I have to share with you that this is a terrible nearly indescribable place to be and the pain is almost suffocating and unbearable.  Thankfully in my case and after three very difficult years, in 2009 I was able to find the spirit and the willpower to get a plan together and start to fight back against the MS, attempt to get back my life and take control of my mind again.  Over the last three years I have got stronger and fitter and I am very proud now to say I am beating MS every day and for this I am truly grateful.  I know I have a battle on my hands but to be frank I hope that my attitude will give me the artillery to fight whatever the MS decides to throw at me.

However this case brought it home to me, how cruel not only MS can be but how cruel life can be and also the justice system.  Who gives anyone the right to decide on whether someone should continue in so much pain? The answer for me is, we live in a very challenging world and we do need a justice system that attempts to bring some sort of decorum and lawfulness to the way we live our lives.

I just hope that Marie is not in too much pain and she gets the strength and peace of mind to carry on with her life as best she can. My heart goes out to her and her immediate family. 

 

Book launch 2013 - Attitude Is Everything ~ My MS Story

Hi everyone and let's hope 2013 is a luckier, healthier and more prosperous year for all.

I wanted to keep you in the loop reference the launch of my book. The plan originally was to launch pre Christmas, however there were a few changes required so I decided to put on hold and launch in Mid January 2013.
So I am nearly there and at this stage I am looking forward to getting the book out there. It was a very enjoyable process writing about how I've come to have Multiple Sclerosis, and then working out how to beat the thing, but I am just hoping that someone gets some strength from reading my story and you enjoy it.

There is not a day goes by that you don't hear about someone else getting an illness or going through a hard time.  The trick really is to get a hold of your mind, and then devise a plan to attack the problem.

Tonight at 9pm ill be doing my first book preview so feel free to email or tweet me any questions. I will keep you posted on date for launch.

Take care and remember #AttitudeisEverything