Now Is The Time To Kiss MS Goodbye

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To The Editor:
Multiple sclerosis is a life altering disease that affects each person in a unique and different way.  Therefore, to demonstrate the power and importance of the MS movement as a force by and for people living with MS, the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and those living with MS here in New Jersey are joining people from across the nation  during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, March 12 – 18, to share, educate and
build awareness about what multiple sclerosis means to them.
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system which interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and  between the brain and body. Symptoms range from reduced or lost mobility to numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people
with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men having the disease. MS affects more than 13,000 New Jersey residents, 400,000 people in the U.S., and over 2 million worldwide.
Advances in research are moving us closer to stopping the disease, restoring function and ending MS forever.  Moreover, MS has moved from an untreatable disease in 1993 to a treatable one today for the vast majority of people now diagnosed, thanks to the growing public support spurring exciting research and treatment breakthroughs that improve people’s quality of life. This is a very
encouraging time if you have MS or know someone who lives with the disease because the first oral therapies that treat MS and manage MS symptoms are now available for those with relapsing forms of the disease. This is also a
watershed year with more than a dozen therapies moving through the pipeline that hold promise of new and improved treatments for MS. Therefore advancing MS research and enhancing program services are ever more important. This MS Awareness Week, the New Jersey Metro Chapter kicks off their new campaign to Kiss MS Goodbye. The first ever Kiss MS Goodbye Fashion Show and Health Fair will highlight  a week filled with events to celebrate and create awareness of multiple sclerosis in our community. The event will be hosted by Boscov’s in the Monmouth Mall and take place on Thursday, March 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.For more information on what is happening during MS Awareness Week or how you can get involved log on to www.nationalMSsociety.org.njm<http://www.nationalmssociety.org.njm/> or call 1-800-344-4867. Progress on MS can’t wait. Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. 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 2.1 million worldwide.
 
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
New Jersey Metro Chapter