Barnwell Print | Charity Fundraising
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
In Support of Multiple Sclerosis Society

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?
Multiple sclerosis is a disease which can affect anyone, and in the UK alone there are 85,000 people facing the challenge of MS. Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological disorder among young adults. Much is already known about MS, but there are still many unanswered questions.

Multiple sclerosis is the result of damage to a substance called myelin – which is a protective sheath surrounding the nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When the myelin is damaged this interferes with the messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

For some people MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission, for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone it makes their life unpredictable. You cannot catch MS and as yet there is no cure. MS has been a recognised condition for 150 years.

How the MS Society Helps
The Multiple Sclerosis Society is the UK’s largest charity dedicated to supporting everyone whose life is touched by MS. As a national organisation, the Society provides a diverse range of services including:
 respite care
 a freephone MS Helpline
 grants for home adaptation and mobility aids
 education and training
 specialist MS nurses, etc.
In addition to this practical support the MS Society funds over 50 vital MS research projects in the UK to bring some hope for the future to everyone affected by the disease. Local branches cater for people of all ages and interests and are run by people with direct experience of MS.

Ricky's Story
Ricky Hill is 25 years old and was diagnosed with MS aged 20. Although Ricky has a nonresident carer who cooks his meals he has no immediate family and is entirely reliant upon the local SHIMS (Suffolk Help In MS) group for support.

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

Multiple Sclerosis Facts:
		MS affects around 85,000 people in the UK and around 2,500,000 worldwide.
		Multiple sclerosis is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 45, but it can be later.
		It is more common in women than in men, the ratio is 2:1.
		2,500 people are diagnosed every year in the UK.
		1 in 700 people in the UK has MS.

Louise's Story
"It's the uncertainty and the inability to plan my life that I find difficult about living with MS. I never know in advance what I'll be like from one week to the next. When I start having an attack I don't know whether I'm going to wake up the next day with my legs fine, shaky, or whether I'll have to cling to the furniture to get around. You have to learn the balancing act of being able to do as much as you can without making yourslef ill."
Louise Buchanan, 33, Liverpool

"What does MS mean to me? It's knowing I can't do the things I used to, like playing football and going out clubbing with my mates, and having legs so wobbly I can only walk a short distance even with a frame and not outside, and not knowing what tomorrow will bring." Ricky Hill, 25, Suffolk

Other charity pages:
Atlantic Ocean Row 
Galapagos Campaign 
Round Britain for MS 
Cross Channel Water Ski