Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), also known as Devic's disease, is a spinal cord disorder that can cause paralysis and vision loss. It is named after the man who was the first to document symptoms related to the disease. NMO has long been considered a variant of multiple sclerosis and is commonly diagnosed as MS. Between 10 and 60 percent of MS cases are actually caused by Devic. Misdiagnosed patients receive treatments that are normally ineffective and potentially harmful. If left untreated or misdiagnosed, a patient can potentially lose all mobility and vision (Neuromyelitis Optic). This disease has particular significance to me because my father's sister, my aunt, was misdiagnosed in 1998 after losing some mobility in one of her legs. Initially, she was told she had an inoperable brain tumor and needed to begin radiation therapy immediately. This diagnosis was due to an MRI that showed a mass where the brain connects to the spinal cord. After a second evaluation by another local surgeon in his hometown, this doctor did not believe the mass was a tumor and suggested further ...