Newspaper Article

I miss my mother almost daily

Joanne Rowling (JK Rowling)

2001

Overview

At first, life went on much as usual - perhaps too much as usual. My mother made few, if any, concessions to her illness. The casual observer would not have known there was anything wrong; she carried on working full-time, the house was still spotless; she was determined to meet her self-imposed standards. She was relentlessly cheerful whenever anyone asked about her health. Her one admission that she had the illness was very much in character: she read everything she could about it. But none of her pamphlets or booklets could tell her why she had the illness or how severely her life would be affected. All they really underlined, as I remember them, was how little was known about the disease. It could affect different parts of the body to widely different degrees. One person might have slightly blurred vision, another might not be able to walk. In most cases, the symptoms would increase in number and become more severe over time, requiring ever-increasing provision of care. One odd fact from those booklets stuck fast in my mind (no doubt because Mum was half-Scottish and because she and Dad had met and married here): the country with the highest incidence of MS in the world was Scotland. Those MS sufferers who will not benefit from Beta interferon can be taught to minimise the impact on their daily life if given access to professionals such as dieticians, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. As was the case 10 years ago in Wales, such services are available only erratically and inadequately across most of Scotland. In 1999 the MS Society conducted a large survey of people with MS all over Britain, to find out what they thought of the medical and care services available for people with MS. One thousand, six hundred and eighty-eight people with MS in Scotland completed the survey. Here are a few of the survey results: The truth about the appallingly poor quality of care available to MS sufferers only became clear to me after I had contacted the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Scotland, which makes me doubly proud to be its Patron. It is the largest organisation fighting for the rights of people who have been overlooked for too long. Its helpline, pamphlets and booklets are the main sources of information for most people affected by MS - and for many professionals. Its 44 branches across Scotland provide activities, support, information and advice for people with MS, wherever they are. It is by far the largest single source of funds for research into MS. Its welfare grants help give thousands a quality of life, including funding for adaptations and holidays, which would otherwise be impossible. Its specialist respite holiday centres are vital to the continued functioning of thousands of families. Its lobbying and PR has been vital in getting MS onto the political agenda. The Society's work is entirely funded by voluntary contributions.

• Publisher: NLA Media
• Subject: Potter, Harry