As I was perusing my usual stops this morning on MS blogs and MS news, I ran across this article: News - Mayor Fargo tells City Council she has multiple sclerosis - sacbee.com . Apparently, Sacramento California mayor, Heather Fargo, announced to her city council she has Multiple Sclerosis. This announcement came on the heels of a 10 year struggle with the disease, which she has kept "mum" about all these years.
I applaud her for "coming out" of the MS closet and also respect her need to have remained in that closet for so long. It is a very precarious balancing act public figures play when dealing with chronic diseases: To tell or not to tell. I have no idea what the details are that changed her mind to make this announcement now, but I'm glad she did. The more exposure the general public has to what MS looks like, the more knowledgeable and understanding they might be.
I took the time to send Mayor Fargo an email today thanking her for her announcement. I also told her I would be posting her Sacramento Gov. email address on my blog so others who read CHEESE could send her well-wishes also if they chose to. I've not heard any response from her, but that's really not my point.
My point is in supporting ALL people living with MS, public figures or not. It does seem the higher one climbs up the food chain, the less the "little people" are inclined to show their support...maybe this is because we "little people" assume those in the public eye already HAVE all the support and resources they need.
If you are so inclined to do so, Mayor Fargo's email address is: hfargo@cityofsacramento.org . Drop her a line and lend some support nationwide. I let her know I am not even a California resident, but her story has reached me in Washington state and I am pleased she has chosen to join the "MS team"...I'm not sure she is thrilled about it however...
**Oh...and Happy VD to you today...(Valentine's Day)!
1 comment:
Hi Linda,
It feels like it has been forever since I have been to visit you! :(
Thanks for posting this. I can not imagine how difficult a decision it must be to tell or not to tell when you are in the public eye. The public can be very cruel at times and so whatever it was, I too am appreciative that she has decided to become a public face for us all, if you will. I am especially encouraged to hear of someone who holds a political office join the likes of us. As much as I don't want anyone to have this illness, it is people in her position....and others like her to have some real power to make changes for all of us.
I hope you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you soon.
Jaime
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