PERSEVERANCE=Real Heros: MS is Nancy Davis's driving force:
"The 48-year-old Nancy Davis is pretty enough to be an actress or a fashion model but, luckily, she's not just another pretty face. At 33, when she was in a troubled marriage and the mother of three young sons, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and for the past 15 years has worked tirelessly to better the lives of all victims of debilitating diseases."

In between appearances on Dr. Phil and Larry King Live, Nancy took time out for a Charm Q&A.

Question: How has having MS affected you?
Answer: At first I was terrified, but I've learned that no health condition and no illness is insurmountable. Recovery begins by believing that you can overcome illness and live a productive and fulfilling life, no matter how devastating the diagnosis. I am a living example. So is Magic Johnson, Charles Schwab, Stephen Hawking, Teri Garr, Lance Armstrong, Andrea Botticelli, Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali. The list of people who have not allowed their illnesses to dictate their personal successes or failures is long enough to fill several telephone books.

Q: How are you doing physically these days?
A: I feel great. I still have some problems with numbness and my vision, but I'm able to be an active mom to my twin daughters, who are toddlers and I make sure to exercise as often as possible. My favorite activity is still skiing.

Q: How did the "RACE To Erase MS" begin?
A: In 1993 I sponsored a celebrity ski event in Aspen, which has now become an annual fund-raiser in Los Angeles that always has special fashion show and musical theme. I'm proud to say that 90-95 percent of the money we raise from these events goes directly to support the groundbreaking research conducted at the Center Without Walls, which is a unique collaboration among the nation's top seven MS doctors.

Q: How do you think families are changed when one member is seriously ill?.........