SOURCE: National MS Society, Greater Delaware Valley Chapter

  Mar 14, 2011 09:30 ET

PHILADELPHIA, PA–(Marketwire – March 14, 2011) – to most people living with it, the letters “MS” mean more than “multiple sclerosis.” MS can mean:

• Not being able to walk your daughter down the aisle on her wedding day
• Losing your ability to work full time
• Not being able to see your children play sports
• Depending on others to do daily tasks

MS isn’t just a collection of symptoms such as a paralysis, debilitating fatigue or loss of vision — it’s an unpredictable disease that can rob you of your independence and overall quality of life. and MS doesn’t just affect those who are diagnosed — spouses, children and other loved ones are also impacted.

Many people simply don’t understand what MS is or what it does to all those affected by it.

That’s why the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National MS Society is launching its “MS Means” campaign during MS Awareness Week, March 14-20.

We’re asking everyone who has been touched by MS to tell us what MS means to them at MSmeans.org. By collecting just a few of the thousands of local MS stories, we hope to make more people aware of what MS really is and get more people involved in our movement to create a world free of MS.

About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. 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. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.

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. Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $161 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. to move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested more than $37 million to support 325 new and ongoing research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement at nationalMSsociety.org.

Note to editors: Please contact Anne Krishnan to speak with someone in your community about what MS means to them.

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