March was Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. There are many people who are dealing with the symptoms of this disease. Perhaps you have MS or you may be a relative of a person with MS or you may know someone who has MS. One way to describe us is that we are all like snowflakes — all very different and unique! We may have similar symptoms at the same time as having different symptoms. One comment many of us hear is: “But you look so good.” However, our inward symptoms are not always visible, which makes us look like we don’t have anything wrong with us. But we do.

So what is MS? Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. MS interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and stops people from moving. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. MS symptoms are unpredictable and vary greatly from person to person. For instance, one person may experience fatigue, while another person may have severe vision problems. Every hour of every day, someone is newly diagnosed with MS. There are an estimated 10,000 people living with MS in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, more than 400,000 in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide. There is no cure for MS.

However, work is being done every single day in the field of MS research to help us better understand the disease, develop more treatments and ultimately find a cure. There are seven FDA-approved treatments available to help slow the progression of the disease. The Upper Midwest MS Chapter serves 17,000 people living with MS in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The MS Society has various activities and programs to participate with. When you participate in Walk MS, the funds you raise give hope to more than 7,000 people living with MS in our community. The dollars raised support life-changing programs and cutting edge research. More than $10 million has been raised since 1988 to help support people living with MS. Bike MS is another way to participate in raising funds and some people we know have participated in this event. This assisted in raising lots of money for the MS society! If you have any questions, you can contact the Upper Midwest MS Society at 800-582-5296 and choose option 2 or emailinfo@MSsociety.org.

The Albert Lea MS Group Meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 918 Garfield Ave. We would love to have you join us! If you have any questions, please contact me at 507-461-3648 or email at cklewer@hotmail.com.

 

Cindy Lewer
Albert Lea MS Support Group
Albert Lea