I saw Teri Garr in a television movie. She seemed to have difficulty walking, but the role didn't demand a physical impairment. Does she have a physical problem or an injury?
—Richard B., Ohio
Teri Garr, 53, recently revealed that she has multiple sclerosis, which affects the central nervous system. She started exhibiting symptoms nearly 20 years ago. As the disease progressed, it affected her ability to walk, as you noticed in the television movie you saw. Worried that speaking out about her MS would lead to a loss of work, Garr brushed off questions about her limping by saying she had bone spurs on her neck and spine. A new medication has helped her, and she has become a spokesman for the drug, talking to doctors, MS patients, and the public about how it has eased her symptoms. Garr began her career as a ballet dancer. She worked her way up through the show biz ranks—from go-go dancer in Elvis Presley films to sidekick on The Sonny and Cher Show—to roles in such films as Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Dumb and Dumber. She has worked steadily since being diagnosed with the disease.
