"Golf and MS"

By Kelly Tomlinson



As the MSWorld Benefit Golf Tournament approaches I think about what Arnold Palmer said, "Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented."


My golf clubs had to be retired a few years ago because I was seriously becoming the "comic relief" in any foursome I played with during a fundraising scramble tournament. Not only was my recreational golf game amusing but my ability to stand in a steady manner and hit a golf ball at the same time also became a source of entertainment for my golfing partners. For some reason they thought I had a pint of whiskey somewhere in my golf bag and was taking a drink anytime they were not looking. I became quite adept at using my putter to balance my gait.


Taking what Arnold Palmer said about golf and applying it to MS, I see the positive and negative aspects. MS is endlessly complicated, researchers all over the world cannot figure out what causes it but it is quite simple for me; I know I have the disease. MS does frustrate my intellect because there is no logical reasoning to the waxing and waning of my symptoms, but because of my MS I am a much more tolerant person than I was before.

MS is rewarding and maddening at the same time, what an understatement! How many times has an MS symptom frustrated me, made me depressed or saddened me? Too many times for me to count but the rewards of meeting many wonderful people who also share this disease and their caretakers outweigh the frustrations.


I could make a comparison between golf and MS. There are 18 holes in golf. If you shoot a bogey or double bogey on one hole you can always shoot an eagle or birdie on the next hole. Back and forth this can go for all 18 holes and at the end of the round hopefully you've shot par. So goes it with MS with relapses and remissions, and hopefully when you go into remission after a relapse you are still the same.


There were times when I did play golf that I would play terribly for 17 holes and would grumble to myself that I was never going to play the stupid game anymore (although I am happy to say I never threw my clubs into a water hazard). Then on the 18th hole I would hit a beautiful drive straight down the fairway and forget all about the negative thoughts I previously had about the game because of this one shot. Relapses of my MS are like the first 17 holes of golf, and then remission is that beautiful shot down the middle of the fairway on the 18th hole.
 

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