This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I just lost my sister to MS. She was 43, a mom, sister, daughter, wife, aunt, cousin, sister-in law, daughter in law and a friend. She was also an ex-Army soldier. There are so few places to express my sadness regarding my loss so I have embarked on channeling my energy into fundraising for the National MS Society. We always walk the yearly, local walk here in Oregon but this year I am walking in the Challenge Walk MS, 2012 in San Diego. 50 Miles. 3 days. Lots of water and copious amounts of M and M's, my sisters favorite food ever.

I am looking for fundraising ideas. I have always hated asking others for money but now, now I will be fighting in honor of my sister and any effort I can engage in to help others and maybe prevent others from losing their fight with MS and help support the families that walk right along with them I will try.

I miss my sister terribly and have never known life without her in it. I hate, hate, hate MS and because it took my sister, I will gear up against it. I can't fight alone so I am reaching out to everybody I can think of and hoping to stumble across some I didn't think to think of.

If you can, check out the Challenge MS Walk website and maybe entertain the idea of joining the walk. Or, maybe help me think of some fundraising ideas....

Im sorry to hear this.
I am new to this disease and I may or may not have it dont know and it sucks waiting for the word. I hear that this disease doesnt kill you but then again I dont know much about it so posts like this scare me badly. Thank you for your fundraising.

I am sorry to hear of the loss of your sister drtobelee:( I hope you are able to raise lots of money in her memory.

Hi Manda, sorry to hear you might be diagnosed with MS. I am not going to lie to you and say its a walk in the park. I am very envious of those with good health that don't have to worry about a chronic illness. However it is not always that severe. I have had it since I was 17 I am now 34.
By looking at me you would not know I have the disease.
Everyone's disease is different so don't panic if you do get diagnosed. I would take care of yourself (have a good diet) and don't smoke!! (incase you do as that is the worse thing in my opinion for ms.....from an X-smoker) TIMS is a good place to get advice and support so welcome x

drtobelee, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your sister and seriously appreciate your support of the MS cause and the efforts to find answers to the many questions about MS. But, for the many posters on here who are newly diagnosed and fearful (like MandaPanda above), or living under the many misconceptions about MS, I'd like to point out it's my understanding that death caused directly by MS is extremely rare to nonexistent.

Having MS can indirectly lead to other complications, and it can make it more difficult for us to deal with the other medical problems that many of us have, but it's generally NOT considered a life-threatening disease. For the multitudes who read here regularly to glean insight into MS and its potential for our own lives (and those of our families), I'd appreciate a little more information on how MS may have directly caused such a tragic turn for your young sister.

I'll also add a short quote from the NMSS site:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about- ... -sclerosis



As a bit of encouragement to the many new posters who have recently joined TIMS and have expressed the same fear as Manda, I've likely had MS for almost 40 years and I still work full-time/overtime (that's why I haven't managed to post much lately). My life is not easy, but my life is still VERY exciting and enjoyable. I wish that to all of you!

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Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS or MS symptoms except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)