Research on multiple sclerosis was almost nonexistent in 1945, the year a small classified ad appeared in The New York Times: “Multiple Sclerosis. Will anyone recovered from it please communicate with patient.” The ad was placed by Sylvia Lawry, whose brother Bernard had been diagnosed with MS, and whose family was frustrated by the lack of treatment options. No one came forth with a treatment, but many came forth with the need and desire to do something about this urgent problem.
In 1946 the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was born, and in 1947 the Society sponsored its first three research projects. Today, the Society is a driving force of MS research, relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment and a cure. Our $600 million investment into research has fueled many advances, and the hope for new, more effective treatments and a cure for MS has never been greater. We are part of a global movement of millions of people working toward a world free of MS.
