Mar 18, 2009
Local Resident Takes Multiple Sclerosis and Health Policy Issues to Capitol Hill
Advocate Meets with Frank Lautenberg, Leonard Lance, Frank Pallone & Bill Pascrell
South Plainfield - South Plainfield resident Jackie Jackson recently traveled to Washington, DC, and visited with members of Congress to represent the interests of those affected by multiple sclerosis.
As one of hundreds of MS activists in attendance at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society 2009 MS Public Policy Conference, Ms. Jackson met face to face with Senator Lautenberg and his legislative aide Apryl Clark and had a number of other appointments at the nation's capitol.
“As a person living with MS for 12 years and an MS Ambassador, I have become a strong advocate for both myself and my adult daughter who has also been diagnosed with MS. Healthcare is crucial to everyone and that is why I am passionate about asking our legislators to help restore the broken healthcare system in this country” said Ms. Jackson.
“For the past two years I have attended the MS Public Policy Conference to receive additional advocacy training and to ask our members of Congress to support issues relevant to those living with MS. As a constituent the beauty of lobbying and advocating to members of Congress is that we get to add that personal touch of putting a MS face to the disease.”
At the conference Ms. Jackson had to opportunity to meet other MS constituents and MS supporters from just about every chapter and every state. “The Sea of Orange at the nation’s capitol brought joy to my heart as I saw all of the women wearing orange MS scarves and the men wearing orange MS ties just to have our voices heard by legislators.”
During these visits, Ms. Jackson urged Congress to:
• Undertake comprehensive and meaningful healthcare reform in the 111th Congress
• Allocate $15 million for MS research from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
• Establish a national MS disease registry for accurate information about its incidence and prevalence
Ms. Jackson goes on to say “Advocacy on Capital Hill surrounded by “Orange Energy” was a rewarding and empowering experience for me. The legislators and their staffers were very attentive, listened carefully to my personal story about my daughter and I being diagnosed with MS, and were open minded and well informed about the MS issues presented to them. I appreciated their genuine concern with wanting to stay informed about MS issues that are important to their constituents.”
About the Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts 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 moving us closer to a world free of MS.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2007 alone, through our home office and 50 state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested over $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS now.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.