— Multiple sclerosis is a life altering disease that affects each person in a unique and different way. Therefore, to demonstrate the power and importance of the MS movement as a force by and for people living with MS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and those living with MS here in Oklahoma are joining people from across the nation during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, March 14-20, to share, educate and build awareness about what multiple sclerosis means to them. Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, which interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from reduced or lost mobility to numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. the progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men having the disease. there are more than 3,400 individuals here in Oklahoma that are living with MS, 400,000 people in the U.S., and over 2 million worldwide. Advances in research are moving closer to stopping the disease, restoring function and ending MS forever. Moreover, MS has moved from an untreatable disease in 1993 to a treatable one today for the vast majority of people now diagnosed, thanks to the growing public support spurring exciting research and treatment breakthroughs that improve people's quality of life. this is a very encouraging time if you have MS or know someone who lives with the disease because the first oral therapies that treat MS and manage MS symptoms are now available for those with relapsing forms of the disease. this is also a watershed year with more than a dozen therapies moving through the pipeline that hold promise of new and improved treatments for MS. Therefore advancing MS research and enhancing program services are ever more important. this MS Awareness Week and beyond, join the MS movement to find out how you can be a part of achieving a world free of MS and learn what MS means to the hundreds of thousands of people living with the daily challenges of the disease. Visit nationalMSsociety.org/ok today. Join us in Oklahoma City on March 15 for our MS Day at the Capitol as we celebrate our victories, share our stories, and ensure that every legislator has an MS Connection! Meet us at the Oklahoma State Capitol Building at 10:30 a.m. for more information, visit our website at nationalMSsociety.org/ok. MS stops people from moving. the National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. the Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS.