Here's Johnny
No not The Shining, but did you guys ever see that doc that was aired on channel 4 called 'Here's Johnny'? It was shown a couple of years ago, about that graphic artist Johnny Hinkleton, who was made famous through his works with the Judge Dredd series and other notable works. He also suffered from MS and it charted his time coming to terms with the condition. It eventually overcame him and he took his life at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. I didn't want to bring a downer to peoples lives, but it's a great doc and urge everyone to see it, if you haven't already. I'm big on my art, so his work is still inspirational to me today :)
I too watched ‘Here’s Johnny’ when it aired and had followed his work for many years (I was the manager of a Comic Shop for almost 26 years). His artwork especially in 2000ad’s ‘Nemesis the Warlock’ was always a big hit with my customers. His final work ‘100 Months’ was a hard read for me with the foreknowledge that he finished it just before he ended his own life, but is an amazing looking book.
The trouble is, if I see something negative about a person's battle with MS, it starts my 'what if I...' train of thought. I choose to focus on positive stories. For example, the Telegraph ran an article the other day on the psychologist Oliver James, who is a well-known figure nationally, very active, full professional life etc. Half way through the piece, it mentioned casually that he'd had MS for twenty years. In reply to the question 'how does it affect you?', James said it sometimes made him irritable and a bit tired. The journalist commented that he could see his (James') leg was slightly stiff. That's what I like to hear! xx Kay