MS Awareness Month underway
Sharon Fleming named MS Person of the Year
Island volunteers for the MS Society are out in full force this month, which is MS Awareness Month in Canada.
A cornerstone of the campaign is the MS Society carnation campaign, and sales of carnations in Island stores are a major society fundraiser.
The month kicked off with a reception at Fanningbank with MS Society volunteers meeting with Lt.-Gov. Frank Lewis.
At that event, the MS Society flag was raised to mark the month.
In attendance was Sharon Fleming, a resident of Prince Edward Home, who has been named MS Person of the Year. Fleming, who has dealt with her MS for many years, is a longtime volunteer and supporter of the cause.
MS Society flags were also raised at Charlottetown City Hall and Stratford Town Hall to mark the month. This week, Health and Wellness Minister Robert Henderson will read a proclamation in the legislature proclaiming May as MS Awareness Month in the province.
MS is a neurological disease impacting some 100,000 Canadians. There are close to 1,000 Islanders who deal with this disease.
MS has no cure, and it impacts the individuals with symptoms ranging from problems with vision and speech to extreme fatigue and paralysis.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, formed in 1948, supports research and programs to assist patients in their daily lives.
Since its inception, the society has raised over $140 million for research into the disease.
The society’s carnations will be sold May 11-13 as a prelude to Mother’s Day. Locations includer the Sobeys stores in Stratford, West Royalty and on Allen Street in Charlottetown, as well as Home Hardware on St. Peters Road.
On Saturday, May 13, they will also be sold at the graduation ceremonies for Holland College and UPEI.
The month will conclude with the Medavie Blue Cross MS Walk on Sunday, May 28, starting from HMCS Queen Charlotte on the Charlottetown waterfront.
For more information on the MS Society, go to mssociety. ca., email info.atlantic@mssociety.ca or phone the Atlantic division office in Dartmouth at 1-902-468-8230.