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The Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter works to improve the quality of life for people affected by MS in Connecticut and Rhode Island raise funds for critical MS research. Join the movement toward a world free of MS.

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ROXBURY TEEN TO RECEIVE 2012 MS SCHOLARSHIP

June 7, 2012

ROXBURY, Conn. – Torri Woodruff, Roxbury, has been named to receive the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter’s, 2012 Corn-Carter MS Family Scholarship.

Woodruff, 18, who graduated in 2011 from Oscar F. Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va., will attend the University of Connecticut, Storrs, in the fall. She plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in communication disorders. Woodruff graduated in the top 15 percent of her class. She received the Governor of Virginia Academic Seal of Excellence and the Board of Education Excellence in Civics Education award. She was a member of the National Honor Society and over the course of her membership was elected to secretary. She was also a member of the Future Business Leaders of America.

Woodruff, who has a second degree black belt in martial arts and who is a national kickboxing title holder, volunteered for four years as an instructor for children with disabilities. She also volunteered with the National MS Society, Virginia Chapter, raising awareness and funds.

Woodruff has faced numerous adversities. In 2008 her mother, Staci Woodruff,Roxbury, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease. Soon after, Woodruff’s brother faced emergency brain surgery and a year later, Woodruff herself underwent knee surgery.

“People say I look just like my mother,” said Woodruff. “I act just like her too. Despite her MS, my mother continues to work hard to make her dreams come true. Like my mom, I may face some incredible obstacles, but I will never let it affect my ability to work hard at everything I do in life.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents, like Staci Woodruff, have multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis generally affects women more than men and is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms can include numbness and tingling in the limbs, difficulties with speech and vision and, in some severe cases, complete paralysis. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis.

Woodruff was recognized by the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, at its annual Hayley’s Hope and Michaela’s Miracle MS Memorial Scholarship Reception, which was held at the Country Club of Farmington, Thursday, June 7. She is one of 14 high school graduates receiving a 2012 scholarship from either the Hayley’s Hope and Michaela’s Miracle MS Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Jo-Ann Concilio Memorial Fund or the Corn-Carter MS Family Scholarship Fund.

The Corn-Carter MS Family Scholarship is made possible through the generosity of Jennifer Corn-Carter and her family. Jennifer Corn-Carter, of Darien, has lived with MS for more than 30 years. In 2010 the chapter presented her with the Georgina B. Davids Award in May in recognition of her 25 years of volunteerism and support.

The National MS Society scholarship program is offered annually to vocational, technical, or college-bound high school seniors diagnosed with multiple sclerosis or to applicants whose parent has multiple sclerosis.

Scholarship applications for the 2013 school year will be available online in October. For more information on MS or for additional information on 2013 MS scholarship criteria, please contact the Connecticut Chapter at 860-913-2550 or visitwww.ctfightsMS.org.

6/7/12

About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. 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 leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

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