Book excerpt: Dr. Bachow spent her childhood in the inner city, growing up in the Brooklyn projects. Blessed with the necessary academic skills and personality, she fought her way out of her humble beginnings to achieve a level of success that she had never thought possible. Not surprisingly, over the years she became accustomed to the accolades of achievement while standing on life's pedestal in both social and professional circles. Then suddenly, it was all taken away. A monster called multiple sclerosis unceremoniously pushed her off her perch, and she found herself facing the world once again as an average person--a patient. This book describes the rise and fall of Dr. Bachow's world as well as its ultimate salvation as she gets used to the seat on the other side of the doctor's desk.