Friday, February 27, 2009

EVERY DAY is MS Awareness Month / Week

EVERY DAY is MS Awareness Month and/or Week around here. Recently, March has become associated with public awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.

“MS: Now You See It, Now You Don’t,”
MS Education & Awareness Month sponsored by Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF). Raise awareness with family, friends, and community by highlighting the unpredictable and often invisible nature of multiple sclerosis. To order MS Awareness kits contact MSF at (800) 225-6495 or
annette@msfocus.org


“Move It!”
MS Awareness Week sponsored by National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Click blue link to find your local chapter for their specific daily events for the week. Patti’s favorite kind of MS Awareness “hospitality and snacks” are featured at our local chapter’s open house.

“This March, Be Visible – Because MS Symptoms Often Aren’t.”
Humbled by emails I have received following my article in MSFocus Winter 2009, “A Caregiver’s Perspecitive: MS and Cognition”, I believe sharing a few excerpts will help understand the role of “be visible”.

“I read your article … and I know that even though I live with the MS horror-show, I still have something to say to others. You did something that I was told years ago: "Just say it."”

“I was happily surprised to see your article … every day is a NEW adventure.... (my husband) has lost some cognitive function as well as other things but I always think IT CAN BE WORSE...we manage but thank you for your words......very comforting. A fellow caregiver”

“Your article made me stop and it took my breath away. … I was fine and going about my life … worked for 20 years … had a perfect work record. All of a sudden, I was getting fired. I couldn't remember things anymore, multi-task or answer phones w/o forgetting.”

“I have read some of what you have lived with in the past years. I can relate. … I am the only caregiver of my husband. … (Our families) do not understand why he acts the way he does.”

“My wife, living with MS for 36 years, now has severe cognitive problems. … It has been an awful struggle for both of us. After reading your article I felt I’m not alone. I identified with everything you wrote …”



Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...
.................................................................
answer key to MS Awareness a crossword puzzle

6 comments:

  1. We all need to speak out all of us MS suffers and carers.

    That way we can raise awareness on a daily basis.

    Best wishes to Patti.

    Love,
    Herrad
    ps thanks for your spot on comment on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for reminding everybody about MS awareness week. Unfortunately our MS awareness took a sad turn with Chris's death.

    ReplyDelete
  3. it was good to read the comments you received from your article, Patrick; sad that so many feel so alone in their struggles with care giving a loved one with multiple sclerosis; it shouldn't be like that but sadly it is :(

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  4. As you say everyday should be awarness day.
    Great that your article reached so many people.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First of all, thank you for the site/post you sent me, I'd never been to that site(though have to others like it) & I found it very instructive.

    This entry(ok, lots of good ones are) is bittersweet, but I am glad you reached so many people. Sometimes the caregiver needs some extra care...and rarely gets it.
    ~Mary

    ReplyDelete
  6. Am I losing it? Has it always been March? Thanks for your kind words, Patrick.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive