Mar 25, 2009
MS Advocacy Group to be introduced to state legislature April 1
Carla Koss
March 25, 2009—Wilmington, DELAWARE The Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced today that its MS Advocacy Group will be formally introduced to the First State Legislature from 12:00 noon to 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 1. Carrying the tagline “No foolin’! MS is no joke,” the MS Advocacy Group comprises the Delaware Chapter’s director of programs, Katrina Holloway, and the chapter’s program coordinator, Marie Eldreth, as well as MS advocates Gail Jasionowski, Amy Vittori, Barb Meyer, Darnell Trower, and Vickie George.
“To be invited to Legislative Hall is a first-time honor for us,” says Katrina Holloway. “We are grateful to our elected officials not only for inviting us but also for giving us an opportunity to highlight five issues that are important to people with chronic diseases like MS: comprehensive, quality health care; standards for health-care coverage; increased limits for Medicaid eligibility; stem cell research; and adding the National MS Society to the list of Contributions to Special Funds on the state tax form.”
“We will also present personal testimonials,” adds Marie Eldreth. “We want our legislators to really understand how MS affects the lives of their constituents. It’s why our five issues are so very important and need to be addressed.”
For more information on the MS Advocacy Group, call (302) 655-5610. Or visit www.MSdelaware.org.
About multiple sclerosis
Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50—during life’s most productive years—and more than twice as many women are diagnosed as men. MS affects more than 400,000 Americans; in the First State, more than 1,500 Delawareans have been diagnosed.
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. Symptoms range from tingling and numbness in the limbs to blindness and paralysis.
In other words, MS stops people from moving. Although the progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS cannot be predicted, advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve the quality of life for many people with MS.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a collective of passionate individuals who are
• moving together to create a world free of MS.
• moving research forward by relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment, and a cure.
• moving to reach out and respond to individuals, families, and communities living with MS.
• moving politicians and legislation to champion the needs of people with MS through activism, advocacy, and influence.
• moving to raise $1.25 billion by 2010 to help create a world free of MS.
• moving to mobilize the millions of people who want to do something about MS now.
To this end, the National MS Society funds more MS research, provides more services to people with MS, offers more professional education, and furthers more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. Through a 50-state network of chapters—including the Delaware Chapter—the Society addresses the challenges of living with the disease.