Who’s it for?

Those closest to the person living with illness - be it parents, a spouse, children, siblings or friends in the support network.

What’s it about?

First-hand accounts & advice on caring (and importantly self-care) for those who make up the support network.

What Will You Learn?

A guide to help you overcome feeling isolated or alone when caring for someone with a chronic illness.

Chronic disease affects far more than just the person diagnosed. It can be a steep learning curve and a very confusing and emotional time for those closest to the person living with the illness - be it their parents, spouse, siblings, children or the friends that make up their close support network.

'Taking Control Together' is the companion resource to the best-selling book 'Taking Control.’ It seeks to explore the complex relationship between sufferer and supporter, the potential guilt, fear and inability for those closest to the person with MS to control a disease that so little is known about. 

This book is a comprehensive compilation of interviews of the family, friends and professional carers of people living with MS and will be an important resource demonstrating how others have dealt with a wide range of situations. It aims to guide the all-important support network in how to look after their mental, emotional and physical well-being whilst supporting someone with a chronic illness.

As with ‘Taking Control’, this book seeks to explore the journey of 15 different people, each detailing their unique journey whilst also revealing commonalities of everyone profiled.

Jack

His mother was diagnosed with MS when Jack was just 10 years old. Along with his fire-fighter father, Jack firmly and enthusiastically took on the role of caring for his mum, really trying to make the workload easier where possible. At the age of 13, Jack, announced that he wanted to change schools. He mother was the vice-principal of the school he attended and after 3 years of constantly being asked ‘How’s Mum?’ he decided he wanted a fresh start and unbeknownst to his parents, had researched new schools he wanted to attend. This is the story of how a young boy balanced his desire to care for his mum without being defined by the stigma of MS. 

Ratu

This is the story of a ‘power couple’ who had it all. Strong careers, 4 kids, a great lifestyle and a future that looked incredibly bright. When Ratu’s wife Loretta was diagnosed with MS he was devastated. After a brief time of denial, Ratu understood that their life would never be the same. Loretta’s condition declined rapidly and they had to make a number of lifestyle changes. This is the story of how one man – husband, father & business owner – deals with the day-to-day challenges of MS and the inherent loneliness that having a partner with a chronic illness can bring. It is the story of how he manages the different perceptions that all 4 children have of MS and how he fights a constant internal battle of being the ‘alpha male’ of the family in wanting to cure everything for his wife or just bundle her up and run away to hide.  

Stephanie

As wife to well-known Australian comedian and MS ambassador Tim Ferguson, Stephanie is no stranger to the spotlight, however, she prefers to keep the focus on Tim and remain behind the scenes. Stephanie met Tim before the world knew he had MS and stood by as he publicly revealed his secret and reinvented his career. But this is a story of how one incredible young woman managed to progress her own career and find her own feet in a new country. Stephanie talks about the difficult task of trying to protect the privacy of a very public figure and her own coping techniques for remaining healthy, sane and undefined by her husband’s MS or fame. She also reveals some very real fears of how she’ll cope with Tim’s disease progression whilst managing her own injuries. The stories Stephanie tells are as funny as they are insightful.  

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