Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the Central Nervous System (making up the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves).
MS can cause a wide variety of symptoms from loss of balance, numbness, tremors, extreme fatigue, memory and cognitive problems, spasticity, blurred vision and more. Symptoms can strike at anytime and can either come and go, slowly get better, or can be permanent.
It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although younger and older people can also be diagnosed. MS is not a fatal disease, but it is still a very destructive disease that makes it harder to live a normal, productive life.
Over 400,000 people in America have been diagnosed and the numbers grow every day. Because MS is such a complicated disease, it can be very hard to diagnose and some will go years before an official diagnosis is made (yet others can be diagnosed before they ever have symptoms). Every case of MS is different, one person may not show any visible symptoms while another person will be very visibly affected.
While there are many medications used to treat MS, and the treatments are getting better every day, there is NO CURE yet for MS.
MS affects my life…and there are so many others who either have MS or know someone with MS. Help us fight for a cure… donate, volunteer, join a Walk, or just help raise awareness.
For more information on Multiple Sclerosis:
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx
Just The Facts: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-is-ms/download.aspx?id=22
My Personal MS Walk Page for 2009 (my family & I are walking as a team!):
