In the US alone, over 400,000 individuals suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS), and approximately 200 new cases are diagnosed each week. March is recognized as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, and today’s KellyGram is dedicated to our brothers and sisters who have been diagnosed with MS, as well their friends and loved ones who provide them with care and support.
Multiple sclerosis is a tragic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communication between the brain and body and interferes with the flow of information within the brain. The symptoms and rate of progression vary in each case, and individuals living with MS may potentially live a long and relatively normal life. Sadly, however, many sufferers experience severely debilitating symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, and problems with balance; numbness, weakness, and incapacitating fatigue; involuntary spasms; difficulty walking and paralysis; and cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Even with a century’s worth of research, scientists still do not know the cause of MS and have not yet found a cure. And, while treatment can help slow the progression of the disease, MS is one of the most expensive conditions to treat, costing patients, on average, about $60,000 annually.
To shed light on why the fight for a cure for MS is a subject so near and dear to me, I want to share a personal experience concerning my health. Nearly twenty years ago, I began experiencing unexplained neurological symptoms and went to a local neurologist for an evaluation. He diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis. Familiar with the disease from my disability practice, and understanding the road that lay ahead, his words turned my world upside-down. Seeking to treat with leading MS medical experts, I traveled to the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center in Baltimore for further evaluation. After a battery of tests, the doctors at Johns Hopkins advised that my symptoms were not attributable to MS. Hearing the chief neurologist rule out that diagnosis was a moment of great relief that I will never forget, but I can also never forget that period when I believed that I would be fighting MS for the rest of my life. Instead, I will use my experience and good fortune to fight for a cure by helping to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and to fight for MS patients with disabling symptoms to receive the benefits they need.
To learn more about MS and to help in ending MS forever, please visit www.nationalmssociety.org. I also encourage you to consider volunteering for, donating to, or participating in one of the four inspirational Walk MS events that will take place in South Carolina next month:
Charleston: April 14, 2018
Aiken: April 14, 2018
Columbia: April 28, 2018
Spartanburg: April 28, 2018
