My Take on Montel

Blog and web comments have been flying left and right this week about M.S. patient and TV star Montel Williams. No one minimizes the impact the star has had on raising awareness about M.S. through his television show and his Foundation. He’s raised a lot of money for patients without health care coverage. He spotlights the disease often on his show.  Williams has been hitting the talk show circuit lately to promote his new book: Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health, and Feel Spectacular  and many of his comments and attitudes are upsetting M.S. patients around the world. For as many who are upset with the star, an equal number seem to come to his defense.  I’m stuck somewhere in the middle.

Apparently, Williams has been consuming four pounds of fruit and/or vegetables each day and he says that the “juicing” has reduced his leg pains from M.S. significantly. Some people can’t seem to grasp how anyone can consume that quantity of fruit each day and then they acknowledge that Williams has his own dietician, his own cooking staff, and millions of dollars at his beck and call. And, they just can’t picture anyone physically eating or drinking that much fruit each day.  He’s also a huge proponent of legalizing medical marijuana.  I can’t take credit for this punch line, but one person posted a response on the web, indicating that maybe Williams can eat all that fruit because he has the munchies from smoking all of that pot. I thought that was hysterical!

 

Williams, himself, recognizes that he is likely the most controversial person in America when it comes to pain management.  He admits to trying just about every pain med on the market: “…OxyContin, I’ve taken Percocet, Ultracet, Vicodin, Lortab and the list goes on.” He’s testified in front of Congress about medical marijuana and claims it’s the only thing that reduces his level of pain significantly. None of the other narcotics listed above even “take the edge off” of the pain, according to published interviews with the star.  He describes the burning sensation in his legs and feet as “walking around in a fire pit.”  I, too, am dealing with that type of pain daily. It’s really indescribable.  Williams has been accused of minimizing the symptoms of M.S. to the public; he’s also been accused of calling M.S. a fatal disease. One of the biggest complaints I read is that Williams made a statement in an interview indicating that if he can do it (reduce his symptoms through exercise and juicing) anyone can do it.  That line alone has caused a whirlwind from M.S. patients. He’s admitted publicly to experiencing three of the dozens of M.S. symptoms that can plague patients. He deals with neuralgic pain in both legs, from his knees to his feet – what he describes as significant pain 24 hours each day; he has left-side weakness; and he has marginal balance issues.  He hasn’t experienced the extreme fatigue faced by most patients, nor has he admitted to dealing with any cognitive issues or motor skill problems.  It doesn’t sound like he has tingling, twitching, or spasms. His arms and the rest of his body appear to be unaffected. He has admitted to considering suicide on two different occasions, so even though he hasn’t claimed “depression” as one of his symptoms, I think most would agree that at least at those two pivotal moments, he may have indeed been depressed.

So, here’s my two cents.  I don’t watch his show.  I work all day, but even on a day off, I likely wouldn’t tune in.  But, I applaud Williams for having the guts to come out to the public about his disease. When someone does that, they set themselves up for public scrutiny, judgment and analysis of the most public kind. It’s not easy.  It is one thing to tell family and friends and it’s something totally different to get on television and do the same.  I did that during my TV show in my local community and in print via a newspaper article. I talk about my disease on this blog.  People have judged me, supported me, offered advice, and I’m guessing even some have made not-so-nice comments that I’ve been fortunate not to hear. Imagine doing that on a national scale.  He risked a lot to do so.  I don’t think that showing that he is a viable person – running several different companies, teaching himself to be his own personal trainer, maintaining his show and his Foundation – minimizes the symptoms of M.S. to the public.  No, we don’t see the deep, dark side of Williams’ pain on television, and no, he doesn’t sit in a wheelchair while broadcasting his show.  But, that shouldn’t cause people to think that M.S. is a “nothing disease.”  I prefer to see it as someone who is trying to be a role model to others, to show them that they, too, can be viable and productive members of society.

I do wonder, though, if Williams would continue his show and all his ventures if he suffered a variety of the other symptoms that M.S. patients face in addition to his lower body symptoms. It’s difficult to deal with the cognitive issues on television – trust me, I know.  And, the fatigue can be a killer. Having pain in multiple body parts, often at the same time, can be disabling. Being under those hot studio lights, with vertigo and other cognitive issues can be difficult, too.  One commenter on the web suggested that Williams “only” has three symptoms of which to speak.  Who are we to judge that his “three” are any worse or any better than our “five” or “seven” or “ten” symptoms? Another complained that we only see him sitting down.  Oprah sits, Dr. Phil sits, and even the news anchors who all seem to have taken up standing to deliver the news, typically stand in one spot without moving around.  What do folks want him to do? Demonstrate his pain on live TV?  Do they want to see him attempt to play basketball and fall on his face while in massive pain?  Would that put a better face on M.S. than seeing him sit in a chair, doing his job each day? And, if he did demonstrate his private pain, how many others would say that he was milking his illness to draw ratings and to make more money?

I mainly take issue with Williams because he’s a millionaire who may misspeak on some occasions. When Williams made the comment: “If I can do this, anyone can,” I think he spoke a little inappropriately. I found that to be preachy.  Not everyone has the resources that he has.  Heck, thousands of people can’t even afford their medications, let alone have the money to buy four pounds of fruit each day. Williams has jetted to Switzerland to try out alternative therapies.  He has a full staff at his beck and call.  I understand the hard working M.S. patient who lives paycheck to paycheck.  I’m one of them. After a long work day, I don’t have the time or energy to puree four pounds of fruit for the next day.  I can’t make the time to work out three hours a day because I work two jobs, I’m a doctoral student, and I have laundry to wash.  I suppose if I had a team of cooks, maids, appointment schedulers, personal shoppers and the like, I could try some of Williams’ ideas. Perhaps Williams should remember that no two M.S. patients are the same and most people aren’t as financially fortunate.  From what I’ve seen from so many other M.S. patients is that one rarely judges another. One rarely says that what has worked for her would work for everyone else – if they just try like she did.  The M.S. community is a tight-knit one.  We may quibble and argue just like a family does, but I haven’t seen a more supportive group of people – spread throughout the world – like this group.  Maybe Williams seems to be more of an outsider than part of our real world?

If the man wants to legally partake in marijuana and it helps ease his pain, let him smoke pot.  If he breaks the law, that’s something different. Good for him for taking the legal route, for speaking to Congress, for not being ashamed of taking a stand for a cause in which he truly believes.   

I’m certainly not going to resent Williams’ wealth and access to resources, nor will I pass judgment on a man I don’t know personally.  Why are some so quick to judge others, especially those in the media, who choose to place their personal lives on stage? Williams made a personal and professional choice to speak about his disease.  With the symptoms he faces, he could have kept quiet and (unless it leaked out in the tabloids) none of us would have known his suffering. He chose to go public, and despite anything the man has said or done to rub people the wrong way, he has raised millions for M.S research.  That’s more than I’ve done.  What about you?

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Interview with Montel Williams

“Ten states, plus the District of Columbia, have symbolic medical marijuana laws (laws that support medical marijuana but do not provide patients with legal protection under state law).New Mexico passed its medical marijuana bill in early 2007. In 1998, voters in the District of Columbia approved a medical marijuana initiative by 69% but Congress was able to nullify the vote results because D.C. is a federal district and not a state. Twelve states have medical marijuana research laws, and only fifteen states have never had a positive medical marijuana law (Drug Policy Alliance)”.