#CMSC2018 – Julie Roberts, Country Music Singer and MS Advocate, Performing at CMSC Meeting

Julie Roberts, a country music singer and multiple sclerosis (MS) patient advocate, will perform at the upcoming Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)’s annual meeting, the association announced

Roberts, diagnosed with MS while making her second recording in 2005, will also attend CMSC sessions to learn more about potential and current treatments, and ongoing research in the disease. The conference runs from May 30 to June 2 in Nashville.

She is set to perform at the meeting’s opening John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture and Luncheon on Wednesday, and again at its awards reception on Friday, June 1.

Her first single, “Break Down Here,” was a Billboard Top 20 Hot Country Song and she has sold millions of albums.

Roberts says she met her diagnosis with years of denial, refusing to pursue any treatment.

“I thought if I ignored my MS it would go away,” she said in a press release. Then another disaster struck.

Record-shattering rainfall flooded Nashville in early May 2010, inundating the Roberts family home and killing 26 people across Tennessee and neighboring Kentucky. Roberts and her family were rescued by boat, after frightening hours that led to an awakening.

“The flood rescue made me realize that I needed to manage my MS, adopt a healthy and positive lifestyle, and show others that the disease does not define who you are or stop you from pursing your dreams,” she said.

She now encourages patients to find a neurologist and healthcare team they trust and feel comfortable with to ensure the care they need.

“Julie Roberts is living proof of the mission of the CMSC and its Annual Meeting – to present MS healthcare teams with the latest information and tools to provide optimum care to those living with MS,” said June Halper, chief executive officer of CMSC. “We are excited to have Julie at our conference to entertain and share her MS journey with our attendees.”

In Roberts’ latest album, “I Think You Know,” produced by Shooter Jennings,  she sings about love, loss, roots, and redemption. She also has a biography,  “Beauty in the Breakdown, Choosing to Overcome,”  set for release in September.

The four-day CMSC meeting, the largest educational and professional development meeting for all sorts healthcare professionals and researchers engaged in MS, includes a range of educational sessions, presentations, lectures, roundtables, clinical courses, workshops, and panel discussions. Independently supported satellite programs also offer additional accredited learning opportunities.

Registration fees for participants include access to the entire conference program, meals, and social events.

For more information about CMSC 2018, please visit this link.