How these famous ‘Aliens’ quotes apply to life with MS
I've taken the liberty of adapting a few notorious quotes from the blockbuster film
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I didn’t see the movie “Aliens” when it came out in theaters 40 years ago because it was rated R and I was only 11. When I finally did see it, it became one of my favorite science fiction films, and I still occasionally watch it. With the plot, action, and special effects, which were pretty good for four decades ago, it’s easy to see why it’s considered one of the best sequels ever made. On top of that, the dialogue is especially well written and very memorable.
Since much of that dialogue takes place between the colonial Marines featured in the film, it is understandable that I and my peer group from the military find it relatable and can quote so much of it. It’s understandable, therefore, that as I’ve been forced to adapt from that previous life to one with multiple sclerosis (MS), I have a new take on some of those quotes. With apologies to the screenwriter, who I’m sure never envisioned this, please allow me to walk you through my MS-themed thoughts on a few of them.
“Game over, man! Game over! What the [expletive] are we gonna do now?”
When the cast suddenly finds themselves stranded on an unfamiliar planet with hostile alien creatures, one character utters that line in a fit of despair. I doubt I used those exact words, but I said something similar shortly after I was diagnosed. I often feel stranded with a hostile entity, but I refuse to remain in a state of despair. I know MS doesn’t actually care when I occasionally swear at it, but it does make me feel better.
“Forget him, he’s gone!”
In the course of the film, this line was delivered before the previous one, but in the course of my life with MS it came after, so I’m taking some creative liberty. In the movie, it was uttered by one of the Marines admonishing another to focus on the fight at hand rather than the loss of a comrade. I miss the pre-MS me. He was strong, quick, agile, and self-sufficient. The one now can’t transfer from the bed to a wheelchair without a great deal of assistance, and sometimes struggles to feed himself. Like being in the middle of a battle with aliens, I must focus on the present. That doesn’t mean I can’t cherish the memory of a life that’s long gone; it’s just that I can’t be distracted by what was when the present demands my full attention.
“They mostly come at night. Mostly.”
The lone survivor of the colonists the team was sent to rescue, who had the most alien experience, tells her “rescuers” that tidbit of information about the creature’s behavior. While I can’t rescue anyone, I can pass on how I saved myself, or at least made living with this disease a little more bearable. This information was shared with me by those with more experience, and I share it now.
“Get away from her, you [expletive]!”
I replace the “her” with “me.” At the rate my MS is progressing, barring a medical miracle, I’m under no illusions about what the future has in store. No matter what that might be, I intend to remain defiant every step of the way. I know MS isn’t a living entity and doesn’t care whether I am or not, but I care, and my family and friends care, too. They care enough to let me get away with saying defiant lines like that to MS during my occasional moments of frustration.
I don’t know if all of that is written in any caregiver manual, but maybe it should be. If the person being cared for is anything like me, maybe the movie “Aliens” should be required viewing.
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Ian R
“I know MS isn’t a living entity”
Ben, I have to disagree. It’s a bug inside of us eating us alive.
In terms of movies, MS is more like Titanic. It’s a disaster movie. We start off happy thinking we are heading in one direction and then hit an iceberg (MS). We can move the deckchairs around and the band plays on, but most of us are goners - we are going down with RMS Titanic. There are some survivors (those with a more benign version / slower version), but they are the minority.
I take my hat off to your perseverance/ positivity.
Benjamin Hofmeister
I'd be lying if I said that it never crossed my mind. I know edss is just numbers but since retirement the trend has been for me to go up one point every five years. I'm at an eight right now moving quickly toward an 8.5, so if the trend continues, I have no illusions whatsoever what exactly is going to happen to me in the next decade.
Aside from my ingrained sense of defiance, the youngest of my three kids is 10 and my goal is to be alive to see his high school graduation, even if I will most likely be bedridden at that point if MS has not claimed my life.
Stubbornness, perseverance... Maybe. I'm certainly not positive. I take some comfort in hope even though my whole life I've been taught that hope is not a course of action and it is painfully ironic to me that as I become more desperate and more willing to accept risk, I am also ineligible for any trials. I keep getting told that the next big thing isc coming in the next 10 years, but at this point it will be 20 years too late.
I always look forward to your insights and realism. Is it negative? I don't think so. I think it's honest. Keep it coming.
Ian R
I hope you get to see your youngest graduate. I’m older than you (I’m 61) and my kids are grown up, but I wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle and take any future grandchildren out to the park. My wife says “you can do it in a wheelchair” (I currently walk with a crutch) but it’s not me. Pre MS was likely eating wonderful steak every evening and post MS is like eating dog poo. Two totally different lives. My aunt died of MS in the early 1990s - she was in her early 50s. I don’t see that the situation has changed much eg your position. Where are the game changer therapies we were promised 10, 20 years ago? I had chemo for my MS 20 years ago, but the last 7 years have seen a gradual worsening. The neuro said last November “you know there’s nothing we can do”. I look at my friends who’ve had prostate cancer and breast cancer with envy. Crap disease, crap doctors (I’m not after a friendly doctor, but one who can stop the worsening) and a crap future. You hear the phrase “all storms eventually pass”. If only it were true for MS.
Jacqueline Whymark
Nice work sir!
I’m a PPMS er and that little piece of Alien ness totally resonates!!
Benjamin Hofmeister
Thank you Jacqueline! It wasn't until after I've written the column that I realized just how many people have never seen that movie.