Conversations in society often revolve around experiences that people share. In American society, for instance, people may discuss entertainment, politics, or fashion since most people are likely to have stories that relate to these topics. Illness is a topic that can be discussed among people from all over the world. Nearly all people have encountered illness whether it is from a personal or vicarious experience. The rich and the poor, men and women, the elderly and the young alike will all have an inevitable confrontation with illness. Since illness knows no boundaries, stories relating to illness are abundant and constantly in circulation. Over time, certain frameworks for specific illness narratives are developed. These narrative frameworks
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Two highly relevant pieces of information about RRMS are that it is the most common form of MS and that numerous treatments are approved for this form of the illness. These contexts shape our understanding because it explains precisely why personal illness narratives from people affected by RRMS do not emphasize their specific form of MS and often discuss helpful medications for treatment of the disease. RRMS patients typically do not find it necessary to emphasize the form of MS they have since it is what 85% of MS patients are diagnosed with (Goldenberg). Since this is an overwhelming majority, RRMS patients easily become the face of MS since they naturally have more stories in circulation. Many of these stories in circulation are in regards to the topic of medication to treat RRMS. YouTube vlogger Lauren Parrott educates people on the medication Tysabri when she explains …show more content…
These contexts explain why PPMS personal illness narratives stress the type of MS being discussed and hope for approved treatments to come in the future. A type of performance cue can be seen in PPMS personal illness narratives in regards to emphasizing that PPMS is a more severe form of the disease. In the “About Me” portion of his blog, PPMS blogger Mitch from enjoyingtheride.com mentions that he “was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, a particularly disabling variety of MS” (Sturgeon). Marc from wheelchairkamikaze.com also mentions that he specifically has Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in the “About Me” section of his blog and even has posts where he says things like “I’m angry that the most insidious and destructive form of the disease, Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, is kept hidden from public view like a Victorian era mentally deficient child kept locked in an attic” (Stecker, “Multiple Sclerosis Sucks!”). Since PPMS is a lesser known form of MS, PPMS bloggers and vloggers have a different story to tell from their RRMS counterparts. By specifying their particular form of MS in their “About Me” sections they set up their distinct performance by setting themselves up to fulfill the role of a PPMS patient. This exemplifies the point made by Bauman that “we view the act of performance as
Two highly relevant pieces of information about RRMS are that it is the most common form of MS and that numerous treatments are approved for this form of the illness. These contexts shape our understanding because it explains precisely why personal illness narratives from people affected by RRMS do not emphasize their specific form of MS and often discuss helpful medications for treatment of the disease. RRMS patients typically do not find it necessary to emphasize the form of MS they have since it is what 85% of MS patients are diagnosed with (Goldenberg). Since this is an overwhelming majority, RRMS patients easily become the face of MS since they naturally have more stories in circulation. Many of these stories in circulation are in regards to the topic of medication to treat RRMS. YouTube vlogger Lauren Parrott educates people on the medication Tysabri when she explains …show more content…
These contexts explain why PPMS personal illness narratives stress the type of MS being discussed and hope for approved treatments to come in the future. A type of performance cue can be seen in PPMS personal illness narratives in regards to emphasizing that PPMS is a more severe form of the disease. In the “About Me” portion of his blog, PPMS blogger Mitch from enjoyingtheride.com mentions that he “was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, a particularly disabling variety of MS” (Sturgeon). Marc from wheelchairkamikaze.com also mentions that he specifically has Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in the “About Me” section of his blog and even has posts where he says things like “I’m angry that the most insidious and destructive form of the disease, Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, is kept hidden from public view like a Victorian era mentally deficient child kept locked in an attic” (Stecker, “Multiple Sclerosis Sucks!”). Since PPMS is a lesser known form of MS, PPMS bloggers and vloggers have a different story to tell from their RRMS counterparts. By specifying their particular form of MS in their “About Me” sections they set up their distinct performance by setting themselves up to fulfill the role of a PPMS patient. This exemplifies the point made by Bauman that “we view the act of performance as