Genentech offers array of services to MS patients
Program will assist with everyday needs such as help preparing meals, house cleaning and rides
Genentech created a new resource page to assist the thousands of Bay Area residents living with multiple sclerosis (MS) by connecting them with companies and resources to help meet an array of needs.
Genentech — a South San Francisco-based biotechnology company — partnered with Lyft and Instacart, among others, to build GatherMS, an online toolbox to assist MS patients with day-today needs and physical and emotional support, Genentech said in a statement Tuesday.
Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system-related disease which disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. MS can be unpredictable and incurable, and its causes are unknown. Symptoms include vision loss, pain, fatigue and impaired coordination, among many others.
For Ronda Giangreco, a 63-year old MS patient in Sonoma, MS flares up once a week, leaving her either too hot to be outside or too fatigued to do basic errands.
“It’s like trying to walk through a wall,” said Giangreco of her MS-induced fatigue.
More than 84,000 people in Northern California have MS, according to a 2017 study from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Genentech created GatherMS following its survey of 800 MS patients in the United States, asking what challenges they face because of multiple sclerosis. More than 80 percent said they wished for help with everyday chores like cleaning their homes or preparing a meal.
“We want to help, which is why we have worked with MS advocates, experts and patients to build a platform that connects the MS community with existing resources, services and events that are tailored for them,” says Genentech on the GatherMS website.
On the GatherMS site, the organizations which work with MS patients or can be beneficial to them are listed in six different categories. In the day-to-day needs section, transportation, fooddelivery and house-cleaning services, among others, are listed. In its health and wellness section, resources from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for exercise and meditation apps
are listed to provide a broad overview.
Giangreco — a chef who wrote a book about cooking home-cooked dinners for guests while living with MS — said GatherMS allows her to order grocery deliveries online and help find local events which involve other MS patients.
“If I can’t make it to the grocery store and cook, I can still order it,” said Giangreco. “Having a source of information about the disease and its unpredictability is the most important.”