Teri Garr adds voice to 33 living with MS

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Hollywood star Teri Garr adds her voice to more than 30 others who write about their journey with multiple sclerosis in a new book.

Garr, an Oscar-nominated actress best known for her movies "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Mr. Mom" and "Tootsie," revealed in 2002 that she has multiple sclerosis. Like many with MS, it took a long time to diagnose, Garr said she started noticing symptoms while filming "Tootsie" in 1982, but a diagnosis took years.

Garr wrote the introduction to the book "Voices of Multiple Sclerosis: The Healing Companion: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength" which recounts the stories of 33 spouses, children, friends and patients living with MS.

In the book, a daughter describes watching her mother balance her disease and an active life in "Recollection," while a physician with MS says laughter is the best medicine when answering questions about her diagnosis in "Telling the World."

The book is the seventh in a series of books that provide real-life stories as an avenue of support and hope for those who must live with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

Debra LaChance said the anthology was conceptualized when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and she sought out the personal stories of those who had been through what she was experiencing.

"Voices of Multiple Sclerosis" is available at bookstores and online at LaChance Publishing at" www.lachancepublishing.com.