This book is a very easy read and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I was never a great big fan of his because he was always the Pollyanna type believing a good attitude and a strong belief system will get you through anything. That always irritates me and pushes my buttons!
In Climbing Higher he is very frank about his road trip with MS. How he felt right after being diagnosed. He talks about his career and childhood briefly, his symptoms and marriage & relationship problems.
I won't spoil the details of the book for those who want to read it but will only give a brief overview if you will. His main problems are bad vision in one eye, burning painful feet and difficulty walking when the pain is at the 10 level (which he says is often).
He also experiences the electric pain where a touch or even water is excruciating. He also has difficulties sexually. He's very frank and it's refreshing to see he does have bad days and is not the Pollyanna he used to portray. He's very emotional and admits to crying a lot (this is a big admission for a man as most won't come clean about tears).
His attitude is that MS can kill ones spirit especially if one is emotionally weak (and who isn't these days in this world) and he realizes there are still others far worse than him so he thanks his lucky stars most mornings when he wakes up.
He is a very confident, over achiever and some see this as arrogant.
I now see him in a different light and I like him. What his core message is MS does indeed suck but we have to fight whatever hand we are given and hope for a better tomorrow.
He is very big on congress allowing medical mj and decriminalizing it.
He acknowledges how lucky he is to be able to have the best healthcare when there are lots more struggling and becoming bankrupt etc.
He is a good voice for the MS community and I like that with his foundation 100% of the money coming in goes to MS. I was shocked to find out with the exact numbers going to MS with the NMSS foundation - it's definitely not 100%!
I encourage anyone struggling with a chronic illness to read this book but especially if you have MS. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and this book will hold a very special place on my book shelf!
After reading Montels book Mountain Move Out of My Way, I just had to read this one! I loves Montel's tv show (too bad its not on any longer) and I really wanted to know more about him as a person. His books represent what he has dealt with in his life, medically and personally! Very good reading!
It was interesting to read what it was like to experience MS from a personal perspective.
