Romney joined women for a breast-cancer walk in Orlando Saturday. Ann Romney talks about her MS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In an unusually candid moment, Ann Romney told a handful of supporters Saturday that her multiple sclerosis keeps her from competitive tennis.

At a surprise afternoon visit to a Cuban restaurant, the wife of the GOP nominee said that wobbliness on the court was an early warning before her 1998 diagnosis with the neurological disease that still affects her.


“I was trying to figure out what was going on, what was wrong with me,” said Romney, 63. “I was very coordinated and athletic, and all of a sudden, I’m falling and tripping and losing my balance and being so weak. And I was like, ‘Something’s wrong!’ That’s when I called my brother.”

The would-be first lady was talking with a woman who teaches tennis and another who suffers from MS, both of whom actively volunteer for the campaign. She said she can still rally for a little bit sometimes and that clay courts make it more bearable. A question about whether she would get to still play tennis in the White House prompted a longer discussion.

Romney had disclosed previously that she had a flare-up of her MS in the spring that gave her a “real scare” and a reminder that she cannot push herself too hard.

“I’m holding up great,” she said Saturday. “It’s because I’m not always on the trail with Mitt. I do my own thing. It’s the girls’ trip. It’s much easier, so it’s not as intense. It’s pretty intense on that bus.”

Romney spoke about how critical steroids were to her treatment.

“That’s what saved me,” she said. “They told me, ‘It’s going to work or it’s not going to work. We’ll find out right away.’ And it did work!”

The supporter with MS responded that the steroids didn’t work for her.

Romney explained that she controls her MS now “mostly” with diet, eating lots of vegetables.

“If I’m home, I juice,” she said. “You can’t really juice on the road.”

She joked, “Anyone got a blender?”

Earlier Saturday, Romney joined thousands of women for a breast cancer walk in Orlando. She has an evening rally in Boca Raton. But, as her husband prepared for Monday’s foreign policy debate in Delray Beach, her three Chevy Tahoe motorcade dropped by the “Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine” restaurant.

After about 20 minutes with 42 supporters, many of whom were offered the chance to come during morning shifts at the victory office a few doors down, Romney carried out a Cuban sandwich and a side of shredded beef.

Romney paid with her Chase Visa. The bill was $19.50. She left a $10 tip.

This article tagged under: 2012 Election

Ann Romney