Activities
bring awareness to a disease that impacts an estimated 50,000 Canadians
May
2, 2005 – Toronto – The month of May is Multiple
Sclerosis Awareness Month and Canadians will be taking part
in activities across the country to help promote the cause. Major
events taking place include:
A
Parliament Hill presentation to MP’s on May 4. MP’s
from all parties will be pinned with carnation boutonnières.
The MS
Carnation Campaign will take place in the days leading up to Mother’s
Day weekend. In 280 communities across the country, volunteers will
be at malls and other public spaces selling bouquets to promote MS
awareness.
The annual
MS Bequest Week takes place the week of May 23. Canadians can learn
more about financial planning and how to make a lasting legacy in
the fight against MS.
Home hardware
retailer, RONA, will be selling paper “Keys to a Cure” at
store cash registers in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
and BC. Proceeds will be donated to the MS Society.
“The
month of May is very special to people impacted by MS,”
said Alistair M. Fraser, president and chief executive of the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. “It marks a time when we can
not only promote awareness but also reflect on the outstanding progress
we’ve made in treatments and the search for a cure.”
On the research
front, progress is being made in identifying the possible triggers of
MS through a global-first study of MS in children. In other projects,
scientists are looking at repairing brain and spinal cord damage caused
by MS and examining the genetics that cause some individuals to be more
susceptible to the disease than others.
All of these
efforts, financed primarily through MS Society of Canada fund raising
events, are to support a common goal: to find a cause and cure for multiple
sclerosis.
Meanwhile, with nearly 120 MS Society chapters across the country,
services and information for people affected by MS today are readily available.
Many programs focus on living a healthy and well-balanced life. Some key
highlights:
Support
and self-help groups, newly diagnosed services and information
support;
Special
equipment provision and funding assistance;
Services
and reference materials to support those who provide full-time care
to a loved one with MS;
Living
Well With MS: A cross-Canada education series to help people deal
with depression, a common symptom of MS;
Programs
directed at children six to 18-years-old who have a parent with MS;
MS
Canada: A quarterly publication that provides timely and relevant
updates on research, services and fund raising.
Chapters
across the country will be participating in MS Awareness Month. Please
contact your local MS Society of Canada office to get involved or to
make a donation. Call 1-800-268-7582 or visit www.mssociety.ca.
About
multiple sclerosis and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
An estimated 50,000 Canadians have MS and three more are diagnosed
every day. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of
the brain and spinal cord. It is the most common neurological disease
of young adults in Canada. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the
ages of 15 and 40, and the unpredictable effects of MS last for the rest
of their lives. The MS Society provides services to people with MS and
their families and funds research to find the cause and cure.
Contact
Information:
Stewart Wong
National Manager, Media Relations
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada,
(416) 967-3025 Stewart.Wong@mssociety.ca
Charitable registration
10774 6174 RR0001
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Toll free to reach
the nearest regional office: 1 800 268-7582
To locate the MS Society office near you, please select your region:
E-mail: info@mssociety.ca (Please provide your town and
province in your e-mail)
