People Magazine: How Jack Osbourne Discovered He Had Multiple Sclerosis
June 20, 2012 by Hollywoodite
Jack Osbourne’s Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis of one month ago covers People Magazine for what’s really exposition following days of similar interviews (in Hello! Magazine, on Conan, and on The Talk).
MS, in short, is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of several forms, which, according to the NHS affects “nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing problems with muscle movement, balance and vision.” Symptoms include “loss of vision (usually only in one eye) muscle stiffness that can lead to uncontrolled muscle movements (spasticity) difficulties with balance and co-ordination (known as ataxia) feeling very tired during the day (fatigue).”
This follows the 26-year-old’s interview with the UK’s Hello! Magazine in which he revealed he discovered his illness after losing 60 per cent vision in his right eye. He said: “While I was waiting for the final results, I got really, really angry. The timing was so bad. I’d just had a baby, work was going great. I kept thinking: Why now? Then I got really sad for about two days, and after that I realised, being angry and upset is not going to do anything at this point. If anything it’s only going to make it worse. Adapt and Overcome is my new motto.” And that’s the mentality parroted on his Twitter, after thanking his fans for support rallied by sister Kelly Osbourne.
In the same Hello! interview, he said he had “relapsing remitting” type MS, considered to be “very treatable” and the “mildest form.” Moreover, he told Hello!: “I’ve got too many responsibilities now to dwell on the fact that, in 40 years, I could be in a wheelchair. You have to take it a day at a time.” Although, he explains, his mother blames herself: “My uncle on her side has MS and, the way my mum is, she thinks that somehow it’s her fault. Both my parents were handling it way worse than I was. They were pretty shaken up about the whole thing. They felt upset for me more than anything, and with the timing being so horrible, so soon after [his daughter] Pearl’s birth.”
Of his treatment, he told Hello!: “I’m about to start a medication called Copaxone, which is a daily injection; a huge amount of fluid that I’ll have to self-inject. It helps control inflammation. A huge part of MS is lifestyle. Eat healthily, don’t drink or smoke, exercise and minimize stress… Everyone should be doing this.”
And Sharon Osbourne broke down on The Talk while discussing her son.
And now, mother and son cover People with information you already gleaned from Hello’s exclusive. (Note: It appears the “60%” loss of vision was at the time of diagnosis, one month ago, which has since deteriorated to “80%” loss in the right eye presently.)
Jack Osbourne knew something was wrong last month when his vision was failing him.
“I couldn’t see anything in front of me,” Osbourne, 26, tells People in this week’s cover story. But when he sought medical help for that problem, he received a shocking diagnosis.
Multiple sclerosis was to blame for his vision loss [of] 80 percent in his right eye. He’s now beginning medication and adopting a healthier diet regimen to help reduce symptoms of the disease, which attacks the brain and spinal cord and can affect vision, movement and cognition. And luckily, his vision has also improved. “It’s just one of those things you take as it comes,” says Jack. “It’s all about your outlook.”
Just weeks after receiving the news, Jack and his mother Sharon opened up in an emotional interview with People at Jack’s parents’ home. Says Sharon: “The first thing Ozzy and I asked ourselves was, ‘What did we do wrong?’ ”
Despite the initial devastation, the entire Osbourne clan is determined to maintain positivity, especially Jack, who is optimistic about his prognosis. “My life is far from over,” he says.
“I was very sad and totally in shock,” Jack’s father Ozzy tells People. “[But] I’ve got to tell you, he’s handled it much better than I would have. He’s a very strong kid.”
Adds Sharon: “Osbournes survive everything. We really do.” – via People Magazine.
Included is the People cover and recent Twitter photos of the Osbournes and newborn Pearl.
