BRAY’S JORDAN IS READATHON AMBASSADOR
BRAY lady Jordan Byrne is urging young readers and schools to sign up to the 31st MS Readathon, which begins next month.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Ireland officially launched this year’s readathon, which runs from October 12 to November 12, recently and also unveiled a new MS Readathon character, Bobby Bookworm.
31st MS Readathon ambassador Jordan Byrne was diagnosed with MS on New Year’s Day 2015 at the age of 21.
‘I knew very little about MS at the time,’ she said. ‘I read some terrible stories. I just didn’t know what was going to happen.’
The damage that MS causes and the nature of MS attacks are often invisible to others. Suffering from constant pain and fatigue, Jordan and her family looked for support from MS Ireland.
‘Geraldine from MS Ireland started calling around shortly after my diagnosis to help me come to terms with things. Finally, someone understood what I was going through. MS Ireland helped me to meet other people my own age living with MS. Their support made an incredible difference,’ she said.
Jordan is now feeling positive and wants to spread awareness for young people diagnosed with MS so that they can have someone their own age to talk to about it. ‘I may have MS but MS has not got me,’ she said.
More than 9,000 people are living with Multiple Sclerosis in Ireland, with thousands more family members affected. MS affects the motor, sensory and cognitive functioning of the body and is usually diagnosed between 20 and 40 years of age. There is currently no known cause or cure for the condition. Symptoms include impaired mobility and vision, severe fatigue and cognitive difficulties. Three times more women than men are diagnosed with MS.
Multiple Sclerosis Ireland is the only national services, information and advocacy organisation supporting people with MS and their families.
Funds raised by young readers around the country directly support vital services, for example, the MS Ireland Information Line which enables one-to-one support for those newly diagnosed, physiotherapy and exercise classes to help people with MS remain independent, and respite care.
All the information on signing up to this year’s readathon is available on www.msreadathon.ie. The website also includes the 2018 reading lists plus encouraging tips and advice from a number of Irish authors and illustrators, including Sarah Webb, Cecelia Ahern, Nicola Pierce, Catherine Doyle, Oisin McGann, Aine NiGhlinn, Ruth F Long, Erika McGann, Kieran Crowley and Chris Haughton.