Case Study: Richard Pryor (MS)

Richard Pryor was 46 when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He was a standup comedian and had a very difficult life prior to his diagnosis. He was an avid drinker and smoker, he suffered 2 heart attacks within a 13 year period, and he also had triple-bypass surgery. In addition to his personal health problems, he also attempted suicide shortly before he was diagnosed with MS. He was eventually put in an electric wheelchair and his declination called for constant care by a family member. One of the long term goals that Meghan had for Pryor was to perform a 30 minute stand up comedian act while in his electric wheelchair. Because MS causes demyelination of myelinated axons, it also causes issues with muscles of the throat, which can ultimately have an effect on Pryor's ability to project his voice to an audience. Meghan then added that she would have him do vocal muscle exercises which include attempting to speak and yell at different vocal pitches. 
It's horrible that Pryor went through so much in his life, on top of being diagnosed with MS. I also think it is interesting how even though he had all of these horrible things happen throughout his life, he still found joy in life by making other people laugh. Overall, I enjoyed Meghan's case study and learned a lot about MS from Richard Pryor's perspective.  

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