Ann Romney to Write Book on Multiple Sclerosis Battle

Ann Romney is writing a book about her experiences living with multiple sclerosis, with proceeds going to benefit the center for neurological diseases she helped launch.

“A lot of people talk about a transformation that happens when life throws you a curveball, and the big one in my life was my MS diagnosis,” Romney said in a statement released by Thomas Dunne Books. “With all the blessings I’ve had, I believe MS has been my greatest teacher: it has taught me about faith, compassion and serving others.”

The Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston was announced in October by the wife of the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former first lady of Massachusetts. The goal is to help the 50 million people diagnosed worldwide with neurological diseases such as MS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s and to help find cures.

Romney was diagnosed with MS, an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, in 1998 after experiencing fatigue and numbness. She told NBC News that she experienced “just a little bitty” flare-up during the 2012 GOP primaries that was enough to give her a “real scare.”

Read more about how Romney’s MS diagnosis and her plans for the neurological center in an op-ed column she wrote for USA TODAY. Her memoir is planned for fall 2015.