This weekend was pretty event-filled: we celebrated my bro’s 40th birthday with the family on Saturday, then on Sunday Bill and I trekked to central Jersey for the commemoration of two of our Nat’l MS Society chapters merging into one big organization. There was a luncheon with awards for local volunteers— both individual and corporate—and some people were on stage telling their MS stories. A young woman benefited from the Society’s scholarship program (her mom has progressive MS and their family needed help sending her to college.) Two MSers talked about the support they receive from programs and volunteers. And one woman told of her fears as she recently took on the role of caregiver to her husband. A quiver in her voice silenced any rude conversations going on at the tables. This one got me on the verge of a waterfall of tears myself and I was happy to be wearing a baseball cap to obscure my overflowing emotions. Funny that other MSers don’t tend to get me choked up (usually): it’s the families and loved ones left in the wake of this awful disease that tap my deeper emotions. I witness firsthand the grief, anxiety, fear, and frustration they go through.
By this point in the afternoon, everyone needed a comical break. Enter David Lander, aka Squiggy. Lander took the stage and told us about his meeting Michael McKean, the other half of the team “Lenny and Squiggy” from the old sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Now I love to laugh (probably inappropriately at times, but oh well—SUE ME!) I find that laughter keeps me from blowing a gasket on a lot of days. So Bill and I were almost on the floor listening to “Squiggy” tell of his adventures in Hollywood. And then Lander talked about his life with MS. I posted about David recently, so I had a particular interest in seeing him in person.
After the talk, lunch ended and people were able to speak with Squiggmann and have him sign a book or two. Bill and I of course got on line. When it was our turn we thanked him for coming and keeping MSers laughing. He then mentioned that by the time he got on stage (there was a 45-minute delay during the lunch), he had no idea what the hell he was talking about. We asked him if it was because they didn’t feed him lunch while he was waiting and he replied that he never eats before one of these things because he’s always afraid he’ll start BURPING! Howls of laughter. Now Bill and I have this fantastic memory of our hero David Lander, aka Andrew Squiggmann. Thanks again, David!
PS: Lander has a website about his life and coping with MS, and he accepts email:
www.davidllander.com
