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Teri Garr<\/strong><\/a> has recently passed away<\/a>, more than twenty years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was 79.<\/p>\n The news was announced by her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer<\/strong>, on October 29, stating that Garr died peacefully on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the disease and Garr\u2019s lengthy battle with it.<\/p>\n Garr once described multiple sclerosis as \u201ca strange disease,\u201d and she wasn\u2019t wrong. MS is a chronic condition of the central nervous system\u2014the brain and spinal cord\u2014that 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201csclerosis\u201d refers to the scarring caused by the disease, which manifests as lesions or plaques in the brain or spinal cord.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n However, she didn\u2019t publicly reveal her illness until 2002, when she announced it during a press conference at the New York Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n After going public, Garr became a spokesperson for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, delivering humorous speeches at gatherings across the U.S. and Canada. In 2005, she stated, \u201cYou have to find your center and roll with the punches because it\u2019s hard to have people pity you. Just trying to explain to people that I\u2019m OK is tiresome.\u201d<\/p>\n That same year, Garr released her autobiography, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood<\/em>. However, in 2006, she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for a week. After working with a therapist, she regained her speech and motor skills and made a triumphant return to television, appearing on David Letterman<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s talk show to promote her film Expired<\/em>.<\/p>\n Garr starred in some of the biggest films of her time, including The Conversation<\/em>, Mr. Mom<\/em>, Oh God!<\/em>, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/em>. However, her breakout role came as the sexy Inga in Young Frankenstein<\/em> alongside Gene Wilder<\/strong><\/a> and Mel Brooks<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n She then gained widespread acclaim for her performance in Tootsie<\/em>, which earned her an Oscar nomination for her role as Dustin Hoffman<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s neurotic girlfriend, Sandy, in the 1982 film.<\/p>\n Martie Cook<\/strong>, a comedy professor at Emerson College, remarked that Garr perfected and inverted the stereotype of \u201cthe smart dumb blonde,\u201d with her rueful cleverness adding depth to the ditzy roles she often portrayed. Legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael<\/strong>, known for her sharp critiques of actors and directors, also praised Garr, describing her as \u201cthe funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\nWhat Is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?<\/h2>\n
Is MS curable?<\/h2>\n
When was Garr diagnosed with MS?<\/h2>\n
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How Did Garr Navigate Life with MS?<\/h2>\n
What Is Garr Best Known For?<\/h2>\n
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