Читать книгу Arthritis For Dummies - Barry Fox - Страница 63

Lucille Ball, the famous comedienne and zany star of the I Love Lucy television series, was just 17 years old and working as a model in Hattie Carnegie’s internationally renowned dress shop when she suddenly developed a fiery pain in both her legs. “It was so bad, I had to sit down,” she wrote in her autobiography, Love, Lucy. She had recently recovered from a bout with pneumonia and a high fever; now this!

Hurrying to her doctor, she received the terrifying news: She had rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling disease that becomes progressively worse over time. In fact, it was conceivable that she would spend her life in a wheelchair. Lucy’s doctor sent her to an orthopedic clinic where she waited for three hours, nearly fainting from the pain, before the doctor informed her that there was no cure. He did ask if she would like to try an experimental treatment, though — injections of a kind of “horse serum.” Lucy agreed and received these shots over the next several weeks until she finally ran out of money. Unfortunately, the pain continued.

Discouraged but not about to give up, Lucy went back home to her parents, who massaged her legs, gave her money to continue the horse serum injections, and encouraged her to take better care of her health. Finally, months later, the pain began to ease, and Lucy was able to stand up on weak and shaky legs. Her left leg had shortened a bit during the course of the disease, so she added a 20-pound weight to her corrective shoe to stretch the leg out. (Note: RA is no longer treated with horse serum. We’ve come a long way since then!)

Lucy’s hard work and perseverance paid off. She was able to return to New York; she made several movies and eventually starred in her own television series, one that required vigorous physical comedy, stamina, and energy. She also starred in Broadway plays, performing eight shows a week while managing to sail through energetic song and dance numbers with a seemingly effortless grace and ease. Lucy remained active and healthy until her death in 1989, and in spite of her doctor’s ominous prediction, never spent a single day in a wheelchair.