Teri Garr has recently passed away, more than twenty years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was 79.
The news was announced by her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, on October 29, stating that Garr died peacefully on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends.
Here’s everything you need to know about the disease and Garr’s lengthy battle with it.
Garr once described multiple sclerosis as “a strange disease,” and she wasn’t wrong. MS is a chronic condition of the central nervous system—the brain and spinal cord—that is highly unpredictable. Its effects can vary widely; some individuals may experience mild symptoms, while others may lose the ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk.
In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) surrounding nerve fibers, resulting in communication issues between the brain and the rest of the body. Over time, this can lead to permanent damage or deterioration of the nerve fibers. The term “sclerosis” refers to the scarring caused by the disease, which manifests as lesions or plaques in the brain or spinal cord.
There is currently no cure for multiple sclerosis. Once diagnosed, MS remains a lifelong condition, but treatments and specialists can help manage the disease and its symptoms.
Garr was diagnosed with MS in 1999. By that year, her symptoms had become so severe that she sought medical advice, leading to her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
