Richard Cohen On Why His Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Didn't Make Him A Victim (VIDEO)

When Richard Cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1973, he had plenty reasons to feel like a victim, but he never allowed it.

Cohen wrote about refusing to allow the disease to sideline his accomplishments in life in his book, "Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness." During a discussion about the struggle with MS, Cohen described to HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani the pain that came with losing his independence to the disease.

"Control is a big issue for anybody who's sick. In my life, it has become a very large point of contention with myself. I don't like dependence. I don't like turning control over to other people, but you really have no choice when you're sick," Cohen said.

But one thing he never lost control of was the context in which he saw himself.

"If you choose to become a victim, then you're going to stop living. You're making a very big mistake," he said. "We're not victims, we're just people who are dealing with a big bump in the road."

See the full conversation with Richard Cohen about defining life beyond illness at HuffPost Live HERE:

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