Spring - Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

MShope
This issue
i Bringing MS into
the 2009 Election 02
i Planning for
Caregiving 03
i Research Update 05
i Walking because
every step matters 06
i BC Roundup 08
MShope MSheroes
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40063333
Return undeliverables to:
MS Society of Canada, BC Division
1501-4330 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H 4G7
MSheroes
To be a leader in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and enabling people affected by MS to enhance their quality of life.
Gabrielle Veto laces up for the
2009 scotiabank Ms Walk
Spring Please 2009 share MShope MSheroes with a friend! 1
Across BC & Yukon

MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
New Hope in Spring
Lynn Hunter at the
Victoria MS Walk
2
It’s February as
we write this
and many of us
are living out
the groundhog’s
February 2
prediction of
an additional 6
weeks of winter.
However, by the
time you read
this, spring will
be around the
corner, even for
those MS Society
members who live in the northern most
parts of the BC & Yukon division. Both
the relatively harsh winter and the new
economic conditions that we face are
reminding us all of the importance of
resilience in the face of adversity.
Until we end MS, people affected by the disease
face many challenges. The MS Society is committed
to ensuring that people with MS and their families
have opportunities to participate fully in all aspects
of life. On May 12, BC will hold its provincial election.
Join us to help bring change in four key areas:
Access to equitable health services
Although the provincial government sets province-wide goals,
standards, and performance agreements, MS is not included on the
current list of priority diseases being addressed. As a result, there is
inconsistent and inequitable implementation of primary care and
enhanced chronic disease management across BC for people with
MS.
What we want to change:
The MS Society wants to work with the provincial government,
regional health authorities and a broad group of community and
healthcare stakeholders to develop a province-wide primary care
and chronic disease management strategy for MS.
Access to MS therapies
MS neurologists agree that people with MS benefit from
early treatment to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks and
to slow the progression of disability. In addition, people with MS rely
on prescription drugs to treat a wide range of symptoms.
Unfortunately, the disease-modifying therapies and some of the
symptom-management therapies are expensive. Discrepancies
between private and public health benefits plans mean that people
receiving provincial support don’t have the same drug coverage as
people with private insurance.
What we want to change:
The MS Society wants all disease-modifying drugs and symptommanagement
therapies available for sale in Canada to be listed on
the provincial PharmaCare program.
Resilience and hope are qualities that
people dealing with MS call upon every
day. This spring, more than 5,000 people
in 25 communities across the division
will gather together to share our hopes
for an end to MS. This end may be a
cure or it may be a program, service or
treatment that counters the effects of
the disease. Regardless of where you are,
taking part in the Scotiabank MS Walk
this year is more important than ever.
The money we’ll raise is important—it
will let us carry on with supporting
research and providing local services
and programs—but so is the hope and
determination we build when we get
together and move towards a shared
goal.
One might say the victory over MS will
be even sweeter when we look back
AdVocAcy UPdAte
election Alert: Let’s Bring change
because our members and supporters
kept the Society moving relentlessly
towards the goal, even when things got
tougher than expected.
Lynn Hunter
Chair, MS Society, BC & Yukon
Janet Palm in Surrey with Wendy Baker of Scotiabank,
title sponsor of the 2009 and 2010 MS Walks in BC &
Yukon.
Access to home care and age-appropriate
long-term care
Nearly 80 percent of people with MS are eventually unable to
work full-time because of the severity and unpredictability of their
symptoms. Limited housing and care choices, as well as reduced
income, may result in younger adults with MS having to move into
care settings that are totally inappropriate.
What we want to change:
The MS Society wants the provincial government and regional health
authorities to work together to increase funding and development
of age-appropriate supportive housing, congregate care and longterm
care homes.
Increased MS research
Canada is a recognized leader in MS
research, and much of this research is
conducted in BC. However, as the small
group of outstanding scientists and
clinicians near retirement, replacing the
loss of MS research expertise will be a
tremendous challenge.
What we want
to change:
The MS Society wants the provincial
government to invest in the Society’s
end MS Research and Training Network
to recruit, train, support, and retain the
next generation of MS researchers in
Canada, and to accelerate their research
activities to find a cure and improved
treatments for MS.
Janet Palm
President, MS Society, BC & Yukon
mssociety.ca/bc
Spring 2009
Spring 2009

WALKers there’s No bring Place hope like to Home end MS
by Cynthia Khoo
Brook Gies is a congenial, caring, busy The next big change arrived
woman from Vancouver, BC. As a production with a fall Bonnie took
coordinator in film and television, she several years ago, which
regularly works 12 to 14-hour
days. This triggered a major relapse.
past July, however, saw her in the midst of After three months of
preparations for returning to work after a
rehabilitation in hospital,
three-month hiatus.
Bonnie’s doctors gave her
Brook, along with her
an ultimatum: “These are
brother Brent, took time off to help care for
your options: you’re either
her mother Bonnie, who lives at home with
going into a facility, or we’re
secondary progressive
multiple sclerosis. going
to set up home care
for you.” For the Gieses, the
decision was obvious.
Bonnie, a cheerful
and independent spirit,
was diagnosed with MS in 1992, though Thus
began a new stage of
likely
Sheroes
lived with the illness since early Bonnie’s
care: setting up a
1980s. As Bonnie’s
MS progressed, so did comprehensive homecare
the level of care she received, moving from system
with Fraser Health
Sheroes
minor home adjustments to wheelchair- Authority. Although
accommodating renovations,
to weekly Bonnie and her family had
home support, to currently daily home experience
with homecare
support. Consequently, she and her family workers,
the few hours per
have experienced first-hand
the issues and week before her fall were
complications that can arise when caring for nothing compared to the
someone with MS at home.
sheer
volume of traffic that
Despite what may
be implied by the word, caregiving
is far from a
one-sided affair. As Bonnie and Brook both know, it takes listening,
organization, compromise, and of course, a great deal of care.
To begin with, there is coping with the
turned their quiet home entrance into a
diagnosis itself. In the Gieses’ case, this
revolving door overnight. Brook recalls, “I
process was eased by the mildness of
Bonnie’s symptoms and the belatedness think the highest count in one week was
24 people coming to the house, and that
of the diagnosis. “For quite a while things
shocked us all a little bit. So that was really
basically were the same,” says Bonnie. Brook hard at the beginning, it’s draining to have
elaborates, “Because it was progressing for a
to train somebody new every time.”
long time so slowly, there were not these big
decisions that had to be made. There wasn’t For Bonnie, quantity mattered in the way
much that we really had to change because it affected the quality of her care: “That’s
she’d already been living with it for a while.” a running battle I’ve had with the home
support people. Unfortunately, they think
That made later changes all the more
they’re sending you a service, not a person.
daunting to Brook, such as the first day Problems increase when neither service nor
Bonnie
took to a wheelchair. “That
was
person may be desired in the first place.
probably the first big thing where my
Brook relates, “When I talk to her about
brother
and I realized there was going
to
having somebody live in, the first thing my
be a lot more, that this was a thing that was
mom says to me is, ‘I don’t want somebody
going to progress, and that we were going
hovering around me all the time’.”
to have to be a part of dealing with,” Brook
relates.
Consideration of her mother’s independence
as well as physical well-being
informs Brook’s
The best team you’ll ever be on!
Spring 2009
MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
Captain of UBC MS remyelinators, Dr. Peter
Rieckmann will update us on research in the
annual MS Society teleconference in May.
Brook and Bonnie Giese collaborate to build caregiving plan.
caregiving decisions, and she maintains the
importance of taking her mother’s opinion
into account. She explains, “I sometimes
think if it were me, feeling like I’ve lost so
much control of my physical body, and now
people are making these decisions for me,
you just start to feel more and more out of
control. So I think my job is to bring all the
possibilities and options to her, and in the
end it has to be her decision; otherwise, it’s
not going to work.”
Despite what may be implied by the word,
caregiving is far from a one-sided affair.
As Bonnie and Brook both know, it takes
listening, organization, compromise, and of
course, a great deal of care.
This is the first in a series of article focusing on
caregiving and MS. Our next article will look at
the emotional impact of caregiving.
BC based researcher Dr. Peter Rieckmann will conduct the
MS Society research teleconference in May for MS Awareness
month. Dr. Rieckmann is the MS Society Research Chair at the
University of BC.
The teleconference will feature an update on Dr. Rieckmann’s
research as well as an overview of MS research in general. This
free two hour session is open to all and will be held Wednesday,
May 20, 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST.
Callers will have an opportunity to pre-submit questions to
Dr. Rieckmann for his response during the session. Further details
about how to take part in this event will be made available as we
finalize them. Please refer to our website www.mssociety.ca/bc
and to your chapter newsletters.
Spring 2009 3
Enhancing Quality of Life
Get on the phone & get
updated about research!

MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
Reading About People (with MS)
Life Side Up, by Ron didur
The story of Jay is, at once, familiar and surreal –
dreamlike, yet tangible. Jay is a pilot and songwriter,
married to the love of his life, Janet. As we follow Jay’s
journey, his diagnosis with MS, his accidental death and
his unexpected rebirth, we are challenged to face our
own existential questions.
Ron Didur, founder of the Canadian Disabled Individuals
Association (CDIA) and longtime MS Society volunteer,
prefaces his novel Life Side Up by telling us that he is
not a writer and never had any aspirations to be one.
Ron goes on to explain that the components of this story
came to him in a series of compelling dreams. What
was initially thought to be the makings of a short story
blossomed into a 128 page novel.
Life Side Up is available to be borrowed through
the MS Society, BC & Yukon Division Library. Contact
604.689.3144.
To learn more about CDIA or to purchase Life Side Up,
go to www.disabledindividuals.ca
You may qualify
for a scholarship
if you are age
25 or under
and either have
a parent who has MS or have MS
yourself. Please note that additional
criteria apply.
This year, the MS Society of Canada
hopes to award up to $75,000 in
scholarships to eligible Canadians.
Each student awarded will receive
$500- $1,000 towards an eligible
undergraduate course of study.
Application forms and more
information are available online
www.mssociety.ca/en/help/
scholarship.htm until April 17, 2009.
4
reviewed by Angela Hold
the 2009 MS Scholarship Program is accepting applications
Dear Sonja,
Coordinator, Equipment Provision Program
anks to the generosity and support of the
MS Society Equipment Provision Program,
I received a power chair.
Because it has a lift that raises me up to
counter height, I am now able to cook, do
laundry, and dye textile projects at the sink.
It is so much easier getting around. I am able
to be mobile and be sitting down comfortably.
I can go outside on the deck for fresh air
and a change of scenery. It has restored my
zest for life.
ank you to the MS Society, and to you for
your assistance in making this happen.
Aaron Solowoniuk of Juno Award-winning Canadian punk rock band
Billy Talent speaks on YouTube about why he chose to initiate the
Scholarship program with the MS Society of Canada.
Sincerely, JC in Winlaw
Make your step
the one that ends
multiple sclerosis.
Register today at mswalks.ca.
April 26, 2009
2009 Dates
Langley Richmond
Lower Mainland
North Shore Surrey
Fraser Powell Valley River Tri Cities
Vancouver
April 26, 2009
Whiterock
April 26, 2009
Interior 1.800.268.7582 Bc or 604.602.3221 April 26, 2009
Northern BC & Yukon
Prince George June 7, 2009
Dawson Creek New! June 14, 2009
Whitehorse
Vancouver Island
June 14, 2009
Victoria April 5, 2009
Duncan April 5, 2009
Nanaimo April 26, 2009
Port Alberni April 26, 2009
Comox Valley April 5, 2009
Port Hardy April 26, 2009
You may qualify for
assistance through the
Equipment Provision Program.
Contact us at 604.689.3144 or
visit mssociety.ca/bc/epp.html
Spring 2009
Spring 2009

Lack of secure income is one of the biggest
problems facing Canadians with multiple
sclerosis today, and Kim McKay’s story is too
common.
Kim confirmed her MS in 2000, but suffered
symptoms for seven years prior, including
optic neuritis, muscle spasms, bladder
problems, and fatigue. She first worked as
an industrial draftsman, where she was let
go without cause, then in a fire department,
and finally as part-time clerk with the Surrey
Museum. After stopping work at the Surrey
Museum due to difficulties in working due
to MS she moved to Grand Forks with her
partner.
A few years later she became aware of
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits for
people with disabilities and decided to
apply. Kim had to show that she worked and
contributed to CPP for four out of the last
six years before she became disabled. This
meant that she had to prove that she not
only was now unable to work due to her
disability but was unable to work several
years previously, in 2003. She was denied
because they did not consider her disability
severe enough to stop working when she
last qualified in 2003 based on the limited
information she was able to gather from her
previous healthcare providers. Kim appealed
ReSeARcH UPdAte
Genetic Study Shows direct Link Between
Vitamin d and MS Susceptibility ‘Gene’
MS Society of Canada funded researchers
have found evidence that a direct
interaction between vitamin D and a
common genetic variant alters the risk of
developing multiple sclerosis. The research
suggests that vitamin D deficiency during
pregnancy and the early years may increase
the risk of the offspring developing MS later
in life.
The causes of MS are unclear, but it has
become evident that both environmental
and genetic factors play a role. Previous
studies have shown that populations from
Northern Europe have increased risk of MS if
they live in areas receiving less sunshine. This
supports a direct link between deficiency
in vitamin D, which is produced in the
Add your power
to the flower.
On May 7-9 buy or volunteer to sell carnations in your
Spring 2009
community during the annual Carnation Campaign.
For more information, Jessie Wong Carnation Coordinator at 604.602.3218
or call your local chapter office.
MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
third time a charm: Appeal Case won with VLAP Help
By Cynthia Khoo
the decision on her own, but she lost the
reconsideration, as well. That’s when she
contacted the MS Society’s Volunteer Legal
Advocacy Program (VLAP).
“I went to the MS Clinic in Kelowna,” Kim
recalls, “and they said get in touch with the
MS Society and you guys were just awesome.
I would tell anybody in a minute to go that
route if you want to keep your sanity.”
With VLAP assistance, Kim fought through
bureaucracy, forms, and letters to be granted
a final appeal hearing. VLAP Coordinator
April Griffin relates, “Even though everyone
agreed that she could not work now because
of multiple sclerosis, she had to prove that
she couldn’t work since 2003. There was
only limited medical information available
from that time, and none that specifically
said multiple sclerosis prevented her from
work earlier than 2003. This lack of objective
body through the action of sunlight, and
increased risk of developing the disease.
“Our study implies that taking vitamin D
supplements during pregnancy and the
early years may reduce the risk of a child
developing MS in later life,” says co-author
Dr. Sreeram Ramagopalan. “Vitamin D is
a safe and relatively cheap supplement
with substantial potential health benefits.
There is accumulating evidence that it can
reduce the risk of developing cancer and
offer protection from other autoimmune
diseases.”
“This research represents an important
development in our understanding of
the cause of MS,” says Dr. Paul O’Connor,
national scientific and medical advisor for
the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and
a neurologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in
Toronto.
evidence and information made her case
extremely difficult because she had to find
a way to show that she was indeed unable
to work several years before she applied for
CPP Disability benefits.”
Finally, with VLAP support Kim gathered
enough medical evidence that her case went
to the CPP Review Tribunal, and won.
Kim is grateful for VLAP, “Just a big thank
you to everyone there, a great big thank you
because it really did help me keep going.
You don’t feel like you’re all alone in all this
bureaucracy. Even if they didn’t have an
answer right away, they’d always call back
and let me know this or that. It really made
a big difference.”
The application process for CPP disability
benefits is complicated and the forms can be
overwhelming. Many people have difficulty
organizing all the necessary information and
remembering small details from previous
years. We suggest that you contact the MS
Society’s Volunteer Legal Advocacy Program
for information on how to apply before
you start the application process. Staff
and volunteers can help you to gather and
organize relevant information to increase
chances of being accepted for CPP Disability
Benefits with the first application. Contact
information: 1.800.268.7582 or 604.689.3144
or info.bc@mssociety.ca
Dr. A. Dessa Sadovnick, from the University of British
Columbia will lead the Canadian Collaborative Project on
Genetic Susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis with Dr. George
Ebers from Oxford University
Dr. O’Connor cautions that the study
does not provide guidelines on vitamin D
dosage and that any decisions on treatment
or supplementation should be made in
consultation with a trained physician.
For more information:
www.mssociety.ca/en/research
Spring 2009 5

MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
Launching the 2009 Scotiabank MS Walk
Walkers and event sponsors ‘tied one on,’ by replacing their plain
white shoe laces with red shoe laces, to mark the beginning of a
countdown to over 25 Scotiabank MS Walk events to be held in
towns across BC and Yukon.
Lacing up Andrew Britnell, President, Student Works Painting;
Candy Hodson Senior VP, Marketing, Black Press; Wendy Baker,
Manager Nordel Crossing Branch, Scotiabank; Janet Palm,
President, MS Society, BC & Yukon Division; David Poole Senior VP
BC & Yukon Region, Scotiabank; and Lianne Britnell.
6
Lower Mainland April 26
Fraser Valley April 26
Interior Bc April 26
Northern Bc & yukon
Prince George June 7
Dawson Creek New! June 14
Whitehorse June 14
Vancouver Island
Victoria April 5
Duncan April 5
Nanaimo April 26
Port Alberni April 26
Comox Valley April 5
Port Hardy April 26
Making Connections
at Meet Market Adventures kicked off their
fundraising at the anti-Valentine’s day dance.
Almost 250 active singles mingled, danced and
bought carnations from friendly Kiersten Eis and
Earl Von Tapia, members of Team MMA.
“We’re doing this in honour of our former colleague Jo, as well as the many others
who have had MS touch their lives”. The team aims to beat the $1,700 they raised in
2008. To join the MMA team, go to ‘events in April’ at www.meetmarketadventures.
com
Do it as a team!
Whether you’re walking in the Scotiabank MS Walk
or riding in a RoNA MS Bike tours, it’s more fun doing it as a team.
The best part is, TeamMS is here to help.
Kevin Wood (far left, front) and some members of his team,
Progress for MS in Chilliwack.
We Shaved our Heads to end MS!
Multiple sclerosis has prevented me from
walking the route at the Chilliwack event for
the last couple years, but MS has not made me
lose hope for a cure. In fact,my Team, Progress
for MS helps me and other people affected by
MS grow our hope each year.
You don’t have to do anything as drastic as
going bald, as a few of my team members and
I did, but the money you raise as an MS Walker
helps the MS Society provide services to people
affected by the disease and fund research
to bring an end to MS. Over 70,000 people
in towns across the country will take part in
Scotiabank MS Walk events this spring.
I invite you to join us by taking part in your local
Scotiabank MS Walk!
Spring 2009
We’ll help you create a fun-filled team of people to walk, wheel, or ride with family, friends, co-workers, hockey buddies,
book club members – you get the idea. Experience the camaraderie and excitement of TeamMS while helping end MS!
call your local MS Society chapter today or contact eilesha Hall 604.602.3200 or eilesha.hall@mssociety.ca
Spring 2009

Making community
I called the MS Society for help and
information when I was diagnosed
with MS 16 years ago. The Society is
well organized and a small enough
organization that an individual can
have meaningful input. I fundraise
knowing what the service side of the
organization does because I’ve been
involved as a volunteer on that side
and benefited from those services
myself.
Denise Young, currently Chair of the White Rock Walk
steering committee moved from Langley where she
was the Chair of the Langley MS Walk for seven years.
Lianne Britnell, 2008 Team captain laces
up at the Scotiabank MS Walk launch.
Spring 2009
Walking for the Future
2009 Welcomed at the Watermark
McGregor Wark, Shafiq Vallani and Dave Major planned
another great new year’s eve event for 400 of their
closest friends at the beautiful beachside Watermark
Restaurant. Their celebration
raised $3,600 towards ending
MS.
Call Bev Matsu to get the scoop
604.602.3202 or Beverly.Matsu@mssociety.ca
MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
I was diagnosed almost six years ago after
the birth of my second son. As a young
mother I have had to educate my children
on why I do not do all that other mothers
do. Last year, my four year proclaimed,
“Wouldn’t it be nice mommy if the
doctors cured MS?!” I looked into his
beautiful eyes and told him simply, Yes.
So, I Walk for myself and others affected
by MS. I Walk for my children, the
children that I know and see, and future
generations in hope that one day we can
say that they wonít have to live with MS.
Lianne Britnell
Team member, Success MS
North Vancouver
Can your shoes talk?
Building team & Building tradition
My best friend, Susan, has had MS since she was in her 20s.
“I’ve gone to many conferences and meetings with Susan
and tried to help her in any way that I can. When I first
found out about the MS Walk in Courtenay my daughter
Holly and I recruited others to join us.”
Then I found out we could create a team, so we began to
recruit others in earnest.†We soon had three sets of mothers
and daughters Then a husband and wife wanted to join, so
our team name was created: Mothers, Daughters and Friends.
This is an annual family event for us. Susan borrowed a
scooter and joined us for the walk in our second year.”A few
years later she had her own scooter and now participates
every year.” Her granddaughter, Mackenzie is continuing our
family tradition by participating on the team – this lets Susan
concentrate on cheering us on!
Pamela Cathcart (Team Captain)
Mothers, Daughters and Friends
Comox Valley
We invite you to enter a nationwide contest by submitting a picture of the shoes that make you feel bold, confident
& empowered. Canadians will vote on their favourite pair with the winner receiving a $1000 prize package from shoe
manufacturer Clarks. For more information: www.ifMyshoesCouldTalk.ca
Thank You!
dMcL chartered Accountants
golf tournament - $2,385
Mr. Lube, a national level supporter of the MS
Society,contributed over $5,400 raised during their
annual fundraiser
electronics Charity Open golf tournament - $5,100
Thanks also go out to Richard Land who ran 26 miles
at the Victoria Marathon on Vancouver Island and
raised $600
Non-uniform day
Students at several independent schools in the Lower
Mainland got to leave their uniforms at home when
they contributed $2-$3 to the MS Society to take part
in, you guessed it, Non-Uniform Day!Thanks go out to
Holy Cross Elementary, Corpus Christi School, Our Lady
of Sorrows School, St Francis of Assisi School and St
Jude’s School for raising $1,000!
Spring 2009 7

MShope MSheroes
MShope MSheroes
BCRoundup BCRoundup BCRoundup BCRoundup
central Island chapter will kick off the
Scotiabank MS Walk on March 11 with a lively Irish
Gala. Music, humour, dance and entertainment by
the O’Brien Irish Dancers will treat team captains
and top fundraisers. Local realtor, Wes Smith and
Flight Centre will reward a lucky person with a trip
for two to Hawaii. Jackie Seabloom of Nanaimo-
City Centre Scotiabank and her team of 11 will
volunteer to make the Gala great!
ARe yoU A MeMBeR?
As a member of the MS Society you: Have a
say in the future of the MS Society I Allow us
to speak with a more powerful voice on behalf
of Canadians with MS I Receive Chapter, Division
and National newsletters I Have access to
MS Society programs and resource library
8
Annual membership $10
Become a member today!
1.800.268.7582
Fraser Valley, terrific new improvements
for the Fraser Valley Grape Escape. This
2-day cycling fundraiser through one of
BC’s beautiful wine regions now features
hotel accommodations at the Sandman
Hotel, a gnarly ‘80s party; new shorter
route option and a one day ride option.
Register now for this June 6 & 7 event or
another in this series of four great cycling
events in BC that will pedal us towards a
cure. www.msbiketours.ca
Kamloops & Area chapter celebrated
8 years of service by dedicated volunteer
Maria Roberton. Since 2001, Maria has
volunteered weekly at the Chapter office.
Maria’s keen eye and hard work ethic
have made a great contribution to the
work we are able to do as a Chapter.
Thank you Maria!
Cyndi Lion, Chapter staff with Maria Roberton
Kelowna, Victoria and cowichan
Valley all held dynamic team Captain
rallies to fire up TeamMS leaders!
Ashley Hodgins, Tracey Gibson and Vanessa Pickard dressed to
gang up on MS at a Team Captain rally February 12.
Runners and walkers of all skill
levels are invited to participate
in the Scotiabank Vancouver
Half- Marathon or 5k Charity
Challenge and to raise funds
for the MS Society. We are one of only fifteen
charities selected to work in partnership with
the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k
Charity Challenge, one of the largest running
events in British Columbia. Runners raising
money to support the MS Society will get some
wonderful perks including a discounted entry
fee and chances to win great prizes.
More information will be available soon on the
BC & Yukon Division website.
The first ever World
MS day will take place
on Wednesday 27 May
2009. Mark your calendar
now and tell your family,
friends and colleagues to
do the same. Contact your local chapter to find
out about events in your community.
MShope MSheroes Spring 2009
editor/Writer: Suzanne Jay I contributors: Cynthia Khoo, Katie Lapi, Angela Hold, Ashley Hodgins, April
Griffin, Dave Doig & many MS event photographers I designer: Michelle Reaney I cover Photo: Katie Lapi
Published 4 X’s a year, MS hope MS heroes is intended to provide news and information to people living with MS, their families, caregivers,
medical professionals and other stakeholders. Information/opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained from sources believed
to be reliable, but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The MS Society does not approve, endorse or recommend specific products or
services and respects an individual’s right to make their own health management decisions. However, we can provide information to assist
people in their decision process. For specific, personalized information, please consult your physician or other health care professional.
MS Society of Canada I BC & Yukon Division I 1501-4330 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4G7
Ph. 604.689.3144/1.800.268.7582 I email:info.bc@mssociety.ca I www.mssociety.ca
Charitable Registration # 10774 6174 RR0002
Spring 2009
If you are receiving a copy of MS hope MS heroes for the first time – it is because you have been identified as one of our MS heroes who has made a real difference in the fight to end MS.
As a member, donor, sponsor, volunteer, event participant, or researcher – you are part of our world - a world that wants to end MS. If you would prefer to receive this newsletter as an
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Spring 2009