Until there is a cure for MS, there will continue to be a demand for the programs and services that the National MS Society provides. Please make a voluntary donation in Section 10 of your 2008 Illinois state income tax return.
Learn Who the Multiple Sclerosis Assistance Fund Helps
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"I'm not a quitter. I don't like to hear 'no' or 'I don't have the answer.'"
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| March 3, 1994, is ingrained in Eliza Mendez's memory. That's the day she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was only 18 at the time, and she remembers feeling very scared and alone. But youthful courage and determination helped Eliza cope with the realities of MS. She started college in the fall of 1994. Through multiple relapses, more than 20 hospitalizations and numerous changes in treatment, she has kept her focus on the dream of doing research in neurology. Her medical internship began in the fall of 2003.
Eliza also started the Chapter's first support group for the Hispanic community. “People need help. I've been through this myself, and I don't think any one should have to go through it alone,” Eliza says. “Our group helps people with MS make everyday life easier.” The National MS Society provides her the tools and resources to make that happen.
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"The National MS Society does more than any other organization to help people
with MS live productive and fulfulling lives."
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| Evelyn Clark understands the value of education. From 1978 until she retired in 1998, she worked for the Illinois State Board of Education. As someone who has been living with MS since 1991, she knows that the education and support of the National MS Society are resources that make a difference.
From early diagnosis through all stages of treatment, the National MS Society is there with information, referrals to specialists, counseling and encouragement. With a single phone call, people with MS can become part of a caring community that brings compassion and hope.
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"The more I know, the better off I'll be."
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| Marcus Ruff knows that the cost of multiple sclerosis can go far beyond the cost of medical treatment. In his case, the disease cost him his job and all of the security that employment brings. But thanks to the information, assistance and support he has received from the National MS Society, Marcus remains certain that “everything will work out.”
Not long after contacting the National MS Society for information, Marcus joined a support group in nearby Carol Stream, Illinois. The group meets monthly to provide support and information on everything from financial matters and housing assistance, to the latest research and treatments.“ We talk about the help that’s out there for people with MS, what we’re going through in our lives and how we can take advantage of the resources that are available,” he says.
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"If I can touch just one person, I will feel like I have made a difference."
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| Kim Albin's initial contact with the National MS Society put her in touch with a support group. She soon started her own group to address the concerns of newly diagnosed young women. With only four members at the first meeting in 2000, the group grew to 60 in just one year. She said the only way most people learn about meetings is through the National MS Society.
“Support groups give people access to information and experts they wouldn’t otherwise get,” says Kim, who is currently a co-facilitator for an MS support group in Carol Stream.
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