How Does MS Awareness Month Make You Feel?
March is here and that means it's MS Awareness Month. This is our time to highlight our illness and share it with others. In my opinion, it's super important because this is a chance to help people understand us a bit more. Not only that, raising awareness ultimately helps raise funding for research, which is critical to us finally beating this thing. Also, this month normally included the MS Walk, which is a big source of funding. How do you feel about this month and its events?
While I'm now a pretty outspoken advocate for MS, I wasn't always that way. In my early years with the disease, I would occasionally feel awkward during this month because I didn't want any attention drawn to me because of my illness. It would sometimes be especially awkward when my friends and family would put together large teams to do the MS Walk. While I obviously knew that it wasn't all for me, it did make me feel a tad odd and undeserving at times.
As years passed, I began to embrace MS Awareness Month. I now look at it as not only helpful for me but to all the future folks who end up with MS. I also look at all the progress that's been made since I was first diagnosed and I can't help but feel that all of those Awareness Months in the past helped get us to where we are today. I know love this month and am under the belief that the more people we get to have a basic understanding of our illness, the better our lives and the lives of future MS patients will be.
So how does this month make you feel?
Unfortunately they still don't know what causes multiple sclorois. They are still grasping at straws. Yes they have 20+ MS medications which is good. But they still can't stop multiple sclorois from progressing . You think they would have figured that out by now. At least slowing progression down to 90%. But they haven't. So big pharma will continue developing new medications and keep making there billions of dollars in profits. It's possible by 2050 they might figure MS out and slow it's progression down by 90-95%.
, I hear you and I tend to agree. I realize MS is an incredibly complex condition, but you think we would be further along in the process of finding a cause, let alone a cure!
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.
I agree with you Harry & Erin.
I was recently watching a game show and the question was asked what was the month of March famous for. I quickly said MS Awareness Month, the question was printed in orange. The answer was March Madness, we don't watch sports, everyone in the room gave my me and my husband a odd look. Potter
, this gave me a chuckle! We're not a sports family, either, and I would have probably made the same guess, Potter! Well, that or a joke about the Ides of March. Sigh. I think your guess was a good one 😉
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.
Thank you for writing on this topic. I've been talking about this lately because friends and family have been offering to do an MS Walk with me. I actually find it difficult to support events this month. The MS Society wants ME to help them raise money? Don't I give enough as the person with the disease? Doesn't my family give enough supporting me through treatments, relapses, and disability? I feel like this month is asking too much from those that are affected. It's one thing if my employer wants to support the MS Society and whatever the Society chooses to fund but, for me, asking those afflicted crosses a line.
Hi
. That does seem a bit backward. MS Walk fundraisers should focus on pulling in those people on the periphery who want to support people with MS, not eking more money out of those already financially affected by it. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) I understand, it does seem a bit backwards at times. Not to mention having a walk be the focal point when the disease impacts the walking ability of so many. I do try to look at it that this month is for others, its a way to get he word out, it's a chance for the people who don't give to learn a thing or two and to donate.
