Society walks with MS patients toward better health

Channing Barker

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Event Chairwoman, A Vintage Affair for MS Day job: Benton County communications director

Tell us about your organization:

■ Mission:

To ensure people affected by multiple sclerosis can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever.

■ Services provided: The National MS Society provides programs and services for people affected by MS so they can live their best lives. This ranges from

educational programs for comprehensive information about MS; resources to help people living with MS find the right physicians; local support groups that help people find their MS community; local and digital programs on health and wellness, family and relationships, mobility, social support and financial assistance; as well as the renowned MS Navigator program where the society partners with people affected by MS to navigate the unique challenges of MS.

■ Service area: Nationwide and here at home.

■ Average number of people served annually: Countless. MS, like other diseases, doesn’t impact just the person living with it.

How is your organization’s mission unique? We are a movement. Our goal is lofty. We won’t stop until our ultimate goal is reached: a world free of MS.

Why do you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? On Jan. 24, 2006 — as a junior in high school — I woke up with a numb sensation on the right side of my body. In a few hours, that numbness shot through my right leg, and I was unable to walk. Through three hospital stays, MRIs, blood tests, spinal taps, I finally heard the words, “You have MS.” Ultimately, the MS Society stepped in when doctors in Tulsa were uncertain what was making me ill. The NMSS created a plan for my family and me to travel to the Pediatric MS Center of Excellence in Stonybrook, NY. I was finally diagnosed and from then on, the MS Society has held my hand and been there for support, advocacy and research. When I was diagnosed, there were about five medications — all injections or infusions — for MS treatment. I’ve now seen those options expand to 15 plus.

What part of your job fills the most of your time? Advocacy. It’s not just with local, state and federal legislators. It’s in day-to-day life. When you live with the disease, you don’t see this as work or even volunteering. It’s not something you can “take a vacation” from, so it’s a constant reminder of the work we have accomplished and the journey before us.

What have you learned on the job that you didn’t expect? Everybody has something, and we are all stronger together. I wouldn’t have thought — when diagnosed at 16 — that MS would have led to so many true relationships.

What challenges face your organization? Lack of knowledge and understanding of the disease. MS is a complicated disease which affects the central nervous system and can look different to each person living with it.

Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? We are always looking for folks to join the A Vintage Affair for MS committee. There are also volunteer opportunities with Walk MS in Northwest Arkansas and Bike MS, which extends from Little Rock to Hot Springs.

What upcoming fundraisers and/or other events does your organization have planned? “A Vintage Affair for MS” will be 6-9 p.m. April 5 at the Apollo in Springdale. The evening will feature wine tastings, a wine pull, silent and live auction and food. Tickets for the black tie optional event are $100. Information: (405) 488-1300, ext. 35201 or brent.patterson@ nmss.org.

Barker