From Wheel chair to Dance Floor

In Barbara Bowie’s new book, find out how, at sixty-five years old, she overcame a disease that the experts told her she’d live with for the rest of her life.

At thirty-four years oldBarbara Bowie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1968. Back then little was known about MS, and her prognosis was an early death.

Despite the bleak prediction, Barbara stood by her simple formula: Always do your best and have fun. This winning combination resulted in her seeing the world’s foremost MS doctors, undergoing conventional and experimental treatments, relying on the care and support of her husband—and having a ball traveling the world.

At times bedridden, walking with a cane, or sitting atop her mobility scooter, Barbara refused to let these constraints get in her way. She has always lived life to the fullest. Whether she received help from Margaret Thatcher or strangers in the subway, she was continually amazed at how her adversity brought out the best in others.

Barbara beat the odds and, since 1999, has lived free of MS. Her journey is an awe-inspiring case study in how an indomitable mindset rooted in optimism and never giving up is key to overcoming all obstacles.