Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness, A Reluctant Memoir

by Richard M.Cohen

Available at Amazon.com $16.29 (see link below) ALSO available on audiocassette for $17.13 from Amazon


Reviewed by LizOP
MSWorld Book Reviewer

Blindsided is well worth the read. It is published by HarperCollins and released in April 2004.

Cohen is diagnosed in his mid-twenties with Multiple Sclerosis and within a few years, begins losing his vision and eventually becomes legally blind. His father is a physician and also has MS. The conversations with his father are interesting. Cohen's grandmother was never diagnosed with MS but spent her last years using a wheelchair and had all the signs of having had MS.

Cohen also has some serious operations for colon cancer. He is a survivor.

Early in his writing, Cohen is advised not to disclose his illness. This is remarkable because Cohen is a rising star in journalism and becomes a coveted TV producer. He goes on to become a senior producer for CBS News and CNN, wins three Emmy awards, and now contributes to the "Health and Fitness" division of the New York Times. He traveled extensively on assignment overseas, which proved to be difficult with MS, but not insurmountable. When I read he was in the Mid-East, in the desert, I winced, thinking of the heat and exhaustion.

His wife, Meredith Vieira, is well known as a host on ABCs The View and syndicated Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Her struggles with her husband's MS are well documented in Cohen's book, as well. They have three children, and now live in the suburbs of New York City.

Cohen's writing style is easy to read and filled with observations and humor. I read it quickly, as I did not want to put it down. He calls his book "a daily conversation with himself" as he explores living with MS. His dreams are clear and the struggles to keep going, even though he has MS and very poor vision, are encouraging.

He writes, "(this book) is a daily chronicle of the struggles in that exotic place just north of my neck." This sentence is typical of his interesting journalistic style that keeps you wanting to read more.

Several celebrities have MS and, in their own way, advocate for research to learn the cause and cure of the disease. Cohen's book tells in a frank manner that living with MS is possible. MS is not the end of your world, but a detour in the manner things are accomplished. It is not a book of advice but a memoir of how he copes.

He writes about his anger with the disease, the obstacles, the triumphs, and the heartache shared by everyone in his life. I felt empowered and much less likely to complain about my MS after reading this book.

In my opinion, this is a must-read for anyone with MS, his or her caretakers, family members and friends. 

 
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