Movement the Key in Fighting MS

by LIZ THOMPSON

Spring comes and goes this time of year, but at least now the Robins can get some worms from the soggy ground.

With our late onset of winter, these birds -- typically our first sign of spring – were seen in droves and, unfortunately, many died. They often hovered on our patio, near the brick, trying to stay warm. One day in February, a puffed-up Robin peered in our patio door. My first instinct was to open the door. But surely the robin would have died of fright from our dogs. When I saw the sunshine and rain mid-March, I found myself saying, "It's a good day for Robins," whereas, I usually say it's a good day for ducks.

My empathy for wildlife working to survive has grown since my ability to do simple things diminishes. I've awakened to the tenuous thread life can become – the delicate balance between mere survival and actual living.

I am convinced everyone has something they are struggling with to live rather than just survive whether it is physical, mental or spiritual – or all three. We all need to pay our bills, we buy our groceries and share when we can, and the list goes on. Some need to choose between food and medicine.

With me, along with more than 15,000 in Ohio alone, my cross to bear is Multiple Sclerosis. Although I use the fact it has slowed me down for good, I use the slower pace to be more aware of life surrounding me. This is MS Awareness Month. All of us with MS and our family and friends, want others to understand this disease and join in the fight for a cure. We have come a long way since my diagnosis in 1987. Until 1993, there was nothing to do but treat symptoms. But through aggressive research, four drugs were developed to slow the progression of this neurological disease.

The National MS Society has a new logo with the new platform introducing a new call to action: Join the Movement. The new brand messaging does that in a simple and powerful voice: Multiple Sclerosis stops people from moving. The society exists to make sure it doesn't. This is powerful and emotional for those of us who often have trouble moving. Every day we awaken hoping our body will serve our needs and we will be able to walk, talk, use our arms and hands and think clearly.

MS can mimic signs of a stroke, which they thought I was having a series of at age 36. It was frightening and when I learned it was MS causing my arms and legs to become numb, have poor balance and lose vision, I was relieved and wanted to learn. MS is a disease of the central nervous system which interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and literally stops people from moving. Our immune systems are overactive, attacking the myelin sheath surrounding our nerves. When myelin is damaged, like barren electrical wires, the signals from the brain are interrupted – just like an electrical impulse on a bare wire makes a light grow dim or stop working altogether.

Every hour someone is diagnosed with MS in the U.S.. Typically, diagnosis is between ages 20 and 50, whereas today, children are joining the ranks of people with MS. As a volunteer staff member on msworld.org, I chat with teens as young as 13 being diagnosed. The need grew to where we began a Teen Chat and message board for young people to communicate.

Advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. We read most days of a group fundraising for a cause, which is healthy. People with MS and their advocates join these groups with our quest. What can you do? You can take a hike and join others in the MS Walk April 28 at the Columbus Zoo; www.MSOhiowalk.org.   You can call 1-800-667-7131 and learn more about MS and see how you can help.

Check out the resources on www.MSohiobuckeye.org or take part in the MS Bike Ride in August. The majority of the money raised by the Ohio Buckeye Chapter remains in the area to fund programs for people with MS and their families.

The balance is forwarded to the society's national office to fund research. A significant percentage, totaling more than $7.8 million in the last year, came back to the chapter area in the form of grants for prominent local MS researchers.

What does all this have to do with springtime and Robins? When that Robin peeked in our patio door as the harsh wind blew him sideways, I understood how fragile life is with a new perspective. I was standing and glad that was still possible. I don't want to stop moving and I'm hoping research will open the door to my ability to keep doing just that. 


Published in Suburban News Publications
3-28-07

Liz Thompson is a former SNP reporter and freelance writer
who lives in Grove City with her husband, Bob.

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