Multiple Sclerosis Community Celebrates World MS Day

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by Patricia Silva, PhD |

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World MS Day

World MS Day is celebrated onĀ May 27 as a day dedicated to thoseĀ who suffer fromĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). In order to mark the occasion, organizations, companies, advocates, and communities are hosting events throughout the worldĀ to share inspiring stories, raise awareness about the disease and campaign to support both patients and research focused on a cure forĀ MS.

Since 2009, the global MS community has come together on World MSĀ Day to celebrate the efforts being made to fight the disease and make an extra effort to help thoseĀ suffering with MS. What makes World MS Day particularly specialĀ is that it is theĀ only globally-organized MS awareness event thatĀ highlights the far-reaching scope ofĀ the disease, which affects over 2.3 million patients worldwide.

The initiative, which was originally organizedĀ by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF), has strengthened and increased over the years, and now includesĀ hundreds of thousands of people participating throughout inĀ 78 different countries. For their part, theĀ National Multiple Sclerosis Society is organizing a series of activities to celebrate the 7th edition of the World MS Day, under the theme “access.” “The theme for 2015 is access: access to diagnosis, treatment and support; access to buildings, travel and leisure facilities; and access to education, training and employment,” explained the society in a news release. “Equality of access doesnā€™t just mean physical access to buildings, but access to the same tools, services and facilities that people who donā€™t have MS enjoy.”

In order toĀ engage people on the theme, the National MS Society created the WorldMSDay.org websiteĀ for people toĀ learn about World MS DayĀ events taking placeĀ in their local community.Ā However, participating in the day and advocating for MS is not necessarily limitedĀ to attending an event in person.Ā The society is also inviting everyone to share a thank you, a message, a photo or e-card with people or organizations that are helping to breakĀ down barriers for peopleĀ living with MS by usingĀ the hashtagĀ #strongerthanMS on social media.

In addition, the National MS Society believes that the #strongerthanMS campaign can also be used for individuals to see how others are improving access for MS patients worldwide, as well as inspiring and sharing ideas that can be replicated in other MS communities. “Together we will generate thousands of messages that celebrate networks of support, share achievements, raise awareness and inspire action, breaking down even more barriers to living with MS,” states the Society.

If you are an advocate for MS, be sure to do your part on World MS Day, and use theĀ #strongerthanMS to spread the word.