Princewill Pius
Meredith Vieira’s husband, veteran journalist Richard Cohen, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 25. His father and grandmother also suffered from the disease in what he called “a family illness” in a 2019 interview with Yahoo Lifestyle. “I dropped a coffee pot for no reason. I fell off a curb for no reason. I noticed a little numbness in my leg,” he explained. “I was very active physically and I thought I was really beating it. I was living in denial.”
Cohen lived with the illness for ten years before meeting his future wife of 32 years, but he let her know immediately. “She didn’t blink,” he told the outlet. Although he tried to keep his diagnosis hidden from everyone else, Cohen learned that keeping it a secret was not “a happy way to live.” He now speaks to others “newly diagnosed with MS” to offer practical advice and emotional support. “You don’t have to be controlled by it,” he said. “I look at our three kids, I look at our relationship, I’ve written four books … what do I have to complain about?”
During an interview with People, Vieira explained that they deal with Cohen’s “chronic illness” by being able to “vent” to one another about the “limitations” it places on their relationship, but they choose not to “dwell” on them too long. “So many people are dealing with stuff and it puts it into perspective,” she explained.
Written by: Nicki
