March Is Designated MS Month

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has designated March as MS Awareness Month, according to Sharon O’Keiff Fusco, manager of the Duncansville office of the Society’s Keystone Chapter.

Founded in 1946, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s vision is a world free of MS through medical research, advocacy, education, programs, and direct patient services.

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Symptoms range from reduced or lost mobility to numbness and tingling as well as blindness and paralysis. The disease mainly strikes adults between the ages of 20 to 50. Celebrities diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis include: Neil Cavuto, Ann Romney, Montel Williams, and the late Annette Funicello and Richard Pryor. In addition to adults, it is estimated that over 25, 000 persons under the age of 18 have symptoms that mimic MS. The disease is especially difficult to diagnose in children where it is often mistaken for other childhood neurological disorders.

While MS is not contagious or directly inherited, scientists have identified factors in the occurrence of the disease such as gender, genetics, age, geography, and ethnic background. Today more people are being diagnosed with MS than in the past, likely due to improved diagnostic capabilities and better access to medical care. Although there is still no cure for Multiple Sclerosis, on-going medical research in areas such as adult stem cells, immune cells, genetics, drug, vaccine, and dietary therapies, and wireless motion capture sensors is making great strides toward an eventual cure.

The Duncansville Office of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society covers Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Indiana and Jefferson counties. Events for this area include the MS Walk, Bike MS, the Annual Anne E. Barnes Golf Tournament, and Lobsterfest for MS.

For more information about events and volunteer opportunities, contact Sharon O’Keiff Fusco at (814) 696-1017 or at MSPAKeystone.org.