March Is MS Awareness Month

There are 1 Million people in the United States diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, 2.3 Million people Worldwide. Many people, like myself, can go undiagnosed for years, so these numbers probably underestimate the actual number of people living with MS.

“Multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know that something triggers the immune system to attack the brain and spinal cord. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Everyone’s experience with MS is different and these losses may be temporary or long lasting.” (Sources: Image from Multiple Sclerosis Association of America; Text from National Multiple Sclerosis Society)