Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month

Spread the word about Multiple Sclerosis during March. MS Awareness Month is our time to raise awareness about MS. Here are some facts:

• Most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and 50
• Women are 2 to 3 times more likely to have MS than men
• MS is not a fatal disease
• In the US, approximately 400,000 people are living with multiple sclerosis
• Worldwide, MS may affect more than 2 million individuals
• Every week, about 200 people in the US are diagnosed with MS
• MS affects each person differently – no 2 cases of MS are identical
• Symptoms of MS widely vary from fatigue to paralysis

March is MS Awareness Month…..So what does that mean?

For the staff and Board of Directors of the Tri-State Multiple Sclerosis Association, MS Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to share our story of who we are. To do our very best to reach out into the community and let individuals living with multiple sclerosis and their families know that we are here. To provide the many services needed locally by individuals affected by MS. To make a difference for you and your family!

Who are we? The Tri-State Multiple Sclerosis Association was started in 2001by a group of dedicated volunteers, who dreamed of an MS Clinic in the tri-state area. Those volunteers included Attorney Alan Shovers, Dr. Larry and Suzy Sims, Charlie and Sharon Omer, Connie Romain, Linda Alvey, Liz Kalb, Connie Kirwer, Stan Newman, Debbie Hebbeler and several other dedicated individuals. Many of these wonderful people continue to serve on the Board of Directors or remain active with us. Determined to bring local services and assistance to MS individuals and their families, the Association was run for the first year from the home of Dr. Larry and Susie Sims. As the Association grew, and it grew rapidly, we opened an office at HealthSouth with Debbie Hebbeler leaving the Board of Directors to accept the Executive Director’s position. In 2003, we moved our office to the Hebron Office Complex. Linda Mattingly joined the staff in 2004 as Office Manager, lending a hand with events and whatever else needed her help! In 2006, Susan Reynolds, RN was hired as a Nurse Educator. Susan received an MS Certification in 2006 and is one of the few MS certified nurses in the United States and the only local nurse who has earned this certification. She also brings to the table a true compassion for understanding MS, since she was diagnosed in 1991. In 2015 Lauren Clowers joined the team as the Fundraising Coordinator.

We have found that there is a great need for listening and “just being there” for the hundreds of individuals living with MS and their families in the tri-state area. Being a local organization, we are just a phone call away and our door is always open!