Grants Up to $5.5 Million Made Available for Multiple Sclerosis Research

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society just announced its largest funding initiative to speed nervous system repair and repair and protection in MS, a disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. The Society has invited proposals from research teams to compete for grants of up to $5.5 million each to pave the way for clinical testing of repair and protection strategies in people with MS" www.nationalmssociety.org/headlines, January 30, 2004. For approximately 300,000 people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), this announcement represents hope for a better future.

(PRWEB) February 16, 2004 --MS is a disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system), usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. In MS, the covering of the nerves is destroyed. Damage to the myelin sheath can occur at any time and affect any part of the brain or spinal cord. The disease is called multiple sclerosis because there are multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis). Regardless of the kind of MS a person develops, emotional reactions are likely to be similar. People feel disbelief, fear, anger, depression, and guilt. Many self-help books about chronic illness place a strong emphasis upon regaining control of ones life, but a battle with MS must not become a battle against oneself. If a persons sense of self-worth hinges on being able to control all changes, then his or her ability to adapt to changes will be blunted. Sometimes the best way to improve a situation is to practice letting go of the need to control. This work is part of a process, and not a single one-time challenge. Success probably lies in gradually redefining family, social, and work roles and relationships, and learning to exchange some areas of responsibility for others." Excerpts taken from a brochure Multiple Sclerosis and Your Emotions by Mary Eve Sanford, PhD, and Jack H. Petajan, MD, from the National Sclerosis Society.s

Doug MacDonald is one of those special people who has been able to redefine his life in spite of MS and brain tumors. He shares his insights in a book entitled Multiple Sclerosis, Brain Tumors, and Other Gifts I Have Received published by American Book Publishing and available at a discount one line at the Publisher Direct Bookstore. As he learned to live with chronic illness, he was able to reprioritize his life and became a much happier man than before he was ill. Facing his mothers mental illness, rebuilding a relationship with his father, overcoming the many obstacles of parenthood, and battling MS are all recounted with the love, faith, arrogance, and humility needed to live life to its fullest. He maintains that we can feel a little better about our own misfortunes, and much more grateful for the gifts we have received.