Faces of MS
“A Smile is the Shortest Distance Between Two People”*
- A Profile of Marianne Clone
By Roy Sexton
Marianne Clone has a habit, one that at first might seem shocking for a driven Vice President of New Business at Jackson National Life. She collects smiley faces…LOTS of smiley faces: mugs, memo pads, stickers, key chains…
“I am known for my smiley faces. I have quite the collection. I have everything – soap, basketballs, you name it. I started it to help me get through,” Clone observes. “I wasn’t going to let MS get me down. I was really concerned that I wouldn’t see my children graduate from high school. Well, I have. And that was a huge goal of mine. I was so concerned I would be in a wheelchair by now, and I’m not.”
If ever there was a living embodiment of the power of positive thinking, it is Marianne Clone. Diagnosed 22 years ago with MS, Clone managed the disease for the majority of that time through a positive attitude and the love of her family. She used no medication until 2003.
“I went many years not doing anything with my MS. It started with numbness in 1987. It came and it went – as MS does, it has a mind of its own. Back then there really weren’t many treatments available. Most of the symptoms had disappeared and I thought it went away,” notes Clone. “Throughout my whole life with MS, I had always attributed fatigue to being a working mom. I’d get a headache, and I’d treat it with Advil. I never related my symptoms back to MS. I’d have numbness in my hands and feet, but nothing I couldn’t deal with.”
Despite this remarkable run without treatment, Clone is a big proponent of medication. In her last two years on medication, she has seen no new brain lesion activity and her symptoms have stabilized. Clone cautions, “Don’t wait. Take action. There are so many good medicines out there. I had a lot of unseen MS activity in those 16 years. Physically I didn’t see the effects, but I had a lot of lesions in my brain. I don’t know if it would have prevented the damage, but I believe it would have helped.”
Clone makes it very clear that humor and an active life are key components to her ongoing wellness. She is quick to note that she never dwells on her disease and that it is rarely a topic of daily conversation. Her husband Bob has shown immeasurable support throughout the years, but for most of that time their children, Stephanie and Ben, did not know about their mother’s condition.
“From the very beginning, my husband, Bob was there for all the tests. It was scary for him. He had all these dreams for our future. Yet, at the very beginning, he said you will beat this and that we would get through this…and we never looked back,” remarks Clone. “For the longest time, I did not share it with my kids. They didn’t know until I went on medication in 2003. I knew my daughter and son were worriers and were very protective. They were very scared and they asked a lot of questions when they were initially told. But I didn’t live my life talking about MS - it’s not a conversation we have every day.”
Clone is as selfless as they come, and that is most apparent in her longtime involvement in Lansing’s Walk MS. Her 30-plus member team – “Cruisin for Clones” – is a family affair with her sisters, brothers, friends, nieces, coworkers, children and husband all participating. Their team shirt even has a smile as their logo. Her 72-year-old mother volunteers at the walk, and her family has been involved for over 20 years. Clone has been named to the Millennium Circle for funds raised from 2002-2007, and her team won a bronze medal in 2006 and a silver in 2007. “In 2008, I raised over $3000 – I am so proud of that,” she explains.
“Since my family doesn’t talk about MS often, that may be why the walk is so emotional...so significant for us,” reflects Clone. “It means a lot to me that I can still walk in this walk. When my family asks if we can go another mile, I say yes. And I am so grateful and fortunate to go that extra mile. The day of the Walk MS is the day we address the disease. And my family is there because of me. It is the day we celebrate being there together.”
At each walk, a “Wall of Love” is posted, and Clone recalls the sentiments posted on that wall with great fondness. When pressed, Clone pulls out a box of items that had been posted on this wall by her friends and family. She reads an outpouring of their deeply felt emotions – “my hero, my inspiration, my friend…my sister who changes the world with her smile,” “together we’ll walk, leaning on each other,” “laughter, good friends, inspiration.” Clone is clearly a woman whose happy soul has touched many.
Clone is also the kind of person who just keeps moving. “When we go on vacation we do a lot of walking and some days I need a little help. Some days I’m not as up to walking as others, but we don’t think about MS first – it’s always humor first. I don’t ever blame anything on MS,” she explains. “I’m very thankful for how I’ve been able the meet the challenge and minimize the impact it has had on my life.. You can’t be Negative Nellie - you have to be Positive Patty. You have to be positive and laugh. If all you do is dwell on it, it gets worse.”
In this same spirit, Clone concludes by returning to the topic of her beloved smiley face collection: “Everybody knows me by the smile on my face and the smiley face trinkets I display in my office. I’ve always believed that the world looks brighter behind a smile. I’m fortunate enough to see people leave my office with that same smile on their faces. I’m glad it’s contagious.”