White House party crasher and Real Housewives punching bag Michaele Salahi today dropped the bombshell that she's been battling multiple sclerosis for the past 17 years.
The neurological condition has affected several celebrities over the years—many of whom were able to maintain thriving careers.
Richard Pryor is probably the most famous celebrity to have MS. Ironically, the legendary comedian credited his diagnosis in 1986 for motivating him to give up hard drugs, while joking that MS stood for "more s--t." As the years progressed, the disease affected his ability to work in movies, and eventually he was confined to a motorized wheelchair. Pryor died of a heart attack on Dec. 10, 2005.
Former Beach Blanket Bingo star and Disney icon Annette Funicello revealed in 1992 that she had MS after rumors surfaced she suffered from alcoholism. She kept it secret for many years but became a public spokeswoman and founder of the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the California Community Foundation.
Oscar nominee Teri Garr, best known for roles in Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Tootsie, confirmed in 2002 that she had MS. She's since been a leader in educating the public about the disease and serves as a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, among other positions. In 2006, she suffered a brain aneurysm and was comatose for two weeks, but made a full recovery after intense therapy to recover her speech and motor skills.
Talk-show host Montel Williams was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and can now be seen in cable TV ads regularly advocating on behalf of his nonprofit foundation. His ailment has also led Williams to be a strong supporter of medical marijuana initiatives, saying it helps control his pain.
Other noted figures with multiple sclerosis include Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto, comic Jonathan Katz, British actress Margaret Leighton, Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and William Hartnell, the actor who first played Doctor Who.
An estimated 300,000 people in the United States have multiple sclerosis, which tends to strike young adults and affects twice as many women as men.
The disease is an inflammation of the nervous system that leads to degenerative neurological problems that often advance over time and can shave up to 10 years off a person's life expectancy; though some cases are far more mild than others. Though MS is incurable, symptoms can be countered with medications.
As for Salahi, she has announced that half the proceeds from the Oct. 2 auction of the red sari she wore when she met President Obama will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Washington, D.C.
We wonder what Whoopi Goldberg has to say about that?
________
GALLERY: The cast of The Real Housewives of D.C.