FUMS 086 – Funny Shit About MS with Comedian Shari Short

If you’ve been following us for any amount of time, you’ll know that we always give a big FU to MS (the clue’s in the name!) And even though we’ll have our ups and downs, we try to inject a little humor along the way.

Now, we know that MS is NO JOKE. But if you allow yourself to see the funny side of it occasionally, it can help with getting through the day-to-day.

My guest this week is Shari Short, a comedian, writer and, naturally, a developmental psychologist working in healthcare communications. Since her MS diagnosis in 2008, Shari has used humor to deal with MS, communicate about MS and cope with MS – and she thinks that you might benefit from doing the same.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• The story of Shari’s MS diagnosis and her experiences of injecting her first MS DMT
• How she got into comedy and where it fits into her life
• Why Shari thinks that humor was helpful in her diagnosis and continues to be in her life with MS
• Her first experiences doing standup and how she manages her symptoms when performing
• The “Crazy Cane Lady Letter Series” and other satirical writing
• Shari’s opinions about how MS is portrayed in the media

Resources for this episode (clickable links):

• If you’re getting value from FUMS, please consider leaving a review wherever you’re listening now
• Clips from Shari’s One Woman Show, “It’s My Mother’s MS, I Just Have It” – Mom and Her Support Group and Don’t Talk to Strangers, plus her series of MS Award Videos
• Shari’s standup that’s NOT about MS – Being a Jewish Mother at Christmastime
• Think Outside The Product Box – an article that Shari wrote for Momentum Magazine
• Shari’s 10 Tips for Making Your Pharmaceutical TV Spot as Generic as Possible
• Follow Shari on Twitter
• Listen to FUMS Episode 067 – Why Did I Go Missing
• Savvy Cooperative | Patient Research Insights for Pharma and Startups
• Help keep FUMS alive at the FUMS Podcast Patreon page – or buy FUMS Merch
• Sign up for the Patients Getting Paid course email waiting list

** Sign up for The FUMS 6-Pack here: The FUMS 6-Pack.

~ Special thanks to my podcast editor Steve Woodward. Do you have a podcast or are you interested in starting a pod? I HIGHLY recommend adding Steve to your team. Find him at PodcastingEditor.com