Lorna J. Moorehead

Lorna J. Moorehead, Born 5 November 1975

Lorna J. Moorhead is an author, health columnist and health advocate. She is one of the first writers on the subject of women’s health issues pertaining to Multiple Sclerosis. She has written many articles on the subject of advocating for one’s self as well as using humor to deal with the embarrassing symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and other chronic illnesses.

Lorna was born in Carmichael, CA. Her mother is former Assembly Member Jean Macpherson (Moorhead) Duffy (member of Clan Macpherson). Her father was George Moorhead, 12 November 1927 - 24 March 2008.

At the age of 23 she was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Try as she might to avoid it, Lorna always comes back to writing. When she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 23, Lorna felt her world was falling apart. However, with an amazing amount of time on her hands, she decided it was not time to lay down, but time to kick butt. Using her writing to vent her own emotions and observations about MS, she has made a strong link to others with her condition. Finding many books and articles about MS to be sometimes depressing, scary, and utterly vague, Lorna decided to write about MS in a way that everyone would be able to understand and even laugh at. She wanted to not only try to embrace the MS community but to tickle them too!

In 2000 she founded MS MOMS, “a California non-profit organization for women and mothers with Multiple Sclerosis.” Lorna’s motivation for founding MS MOMS was a lack of support for parents with Multiple Sclerosis. She requested support from The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, they did not have any programs specifically designed to assist with women’s issues, parenting with Multiple Sclerosis, or maintaining relationships, at the time. Lorna took it upon herself to do what she could to share her experiences in the hopes of helping others like herself.

MS MOMS commonly participates with Renaissance fairs for fundraising and advertising.

Her book Coffee In The Cereal was required reading for a class at Stanford University.

Coffee in the Cereal 

In the quirky, sassy voice that has made her popular on health Web sites and with the women of MS MOMS, Lorna Moorhead recounts the experience of her first year with multiple sclerosis with a vitality unique in the often gloomy world of personal medical histories.
Rather than focusing on the sadness and difficulties that followed her diagnosis, Moorhead deals with the practical problems faced by many MS patients: how to parent effectively, stand up to doctors who think she looks "fine," and what to do with the mixed bag of cognitive difficulties. Moorhead is a real-life person with real-life reactions to MS-she fights back when people attack her for parking in the handicapped spot even though she looks normal and she faces life with a spunky humor that will lift the spirits and encourage others fighting the disease. Hilarious, yet telling chapter headings such as "Not Tonight Dear, I Have MS" give readers a quick insight into the mind of this vibrant, intelligent woman.

Phone in the Fridge: Five Years with Multiple Sclerosis was first published in 2006 by Pathfinder Publishing. After many years of surviving her Multiple Sclerosis, Lorna sat down and recounted the significant life lessons from her first five years.