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MS Society offers new self-help group, family getaway in Alexandria this fall

Aug. 27, 2008

Contact: Emily Wilson
612-335-7931
ewilson@mssociety.org

MINNEAPOLIS — The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter hosts a weekend getaway for families affected by multiple sclerosis Oct. 10 to 12 at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria, Minn. The chapter also introduces the “MS Many Stories Coffee Group,” a new self-help group for people with MS, which meets monthly in Alexandria starting Sept. 22.

The Family Getaway is for families with a parent or guardian who has MS. At the getaway, families enjoy entertainment and recreation while learning to live positively with MS. To complete an interest form, visit http://www.mssociety.org/ or call 612-335-7970. The deadline to submit interest forms is Friday, Sept. 19. For more information, contact Timothy Holtz at 612-335-7930 or tholtz@MSsociety.org.

The “MS Many Stories Coffee Group,” a new, informal self-help group, is designed to help people with MS learn more about the disease, develop strategies for addressing problems and enjoy support from others living with MS. The group meets the fourth Monday of every month at 10:30 a.m., starting Sept. 22, at the Daily Grind House of Java in Alexandria, 518 Broadway St. For more information, contact Deb at 320-859-5610 or debm1@midwestinfo.net.

About the multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National MS Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. We fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. The Minnesota Chapter represents an estimated 9,000 people with MS in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.

Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

 

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