The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is a national nonprofit organization and leading resource for the entire MS community, improving lives today through vital services and support. MSAA provides free programs and services, such as: a Helpline with trained specialists; award-winning publications, including, The Motivator; MSAA’s nationally recognized website, featuring educational videos, webinars, and research updates; a mobile phone app, My MS Manager™; safety and mobility equipment products; cooling accessories for heat-sensitive individuals; MRI funding; My MSAA Community, a peer-to-peer online support forum; MS Conversations blog; a clinical trial search tool; podcasts; and more. For additional information, please visit www.mymsaa.org or call (800) 532-7667.
Welcome to MS Awareness Month. Each year, MSAA dedicates the month of March to focusing on topics important to the MS community. This month, we will be exploring Life with MS: Different Stages of the Journey. Over the next few weeks, we will explore topics critical to living with MS at varying ages.
MSAA’s Artist of the Month features the work of many talented artists affected by multiple sclerosis as part of our annualMSAA Art Showcase. Each month we share these artists’ inspiring stories and beautiful artwork with you as our Artist of the Month. This month, we celebrate Jaclyn Spencer as March’s Artist of the Month. Jaclyn is from Ogden, UT.
March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and MSAA is excited to present four full weeks of valuable and inspiring resources, programs, and strategies for all ages! We are dedicated to spreading awareness, education, and support to individuals, families, and care partners in the MS community, and this month is no different. Our MS Awareness Month initiatives focus on “Life with MS: Different Stages of the Journey” andinclude a multitude of programs that address MS management in all life stages.
An estimated 2.8 million people worldwide are living with Multiple Sclerosis, and some choose to use social media. They share their experiences, and they allow us to see their vulnerability for the betterment of all. Social media can be cold and hurtful, yet it can bring us community and kinship. It’s an individual decision to participate or avoid it. It’s scary and risky to put ourselves out there, and we need to support those who are willing to share.
I’m grateful for individuals living and speaking their truth. Some have been sharing for decades, and some are just starting. I’m heartened by commenters who support with compassion and scroll past when things don’t speak to them. I’m inspired by so many who cheerlead and model respectful interactions with exceedingly tough topics. I hope we can hang on to the benefits of social media and lose the hurt it can cause. We need to protect our vulnerable peers, and I hope we can do this with compassion. We are better for the myriad of voices and experiences. Suffering alone is misery. Knowing we aren’t alone helps us get through the tough stuff.
2022 is over and you are already ankle-deep in 2023. What will this new year bring? No one knows for sure. But I believe you can give yourself an edge for the better with a few small, but subtle changes. Here are some ways to start…
Stretching before bedtime eases a jittery body.
Drink drink drink water.
MS is relentless. Be relentless right back.
Do what you can to improve what you have.
Slip-on shoes are wonderful.
Read out loud to strengthen your voice. (Keep your belly tight)
Waggle your fingers. Wiggle your toes.
Forget the music. MRI-time is nap-time.
Take lukewarm showers.
Get as much done when your energy is highest. (Mornings for me)
Invite no one to your pity party.
Move what you can as much as you can. Then do it again.
MSAA’s Artist of the Month features the work of many talented artists affected by multiple sclerosis as part of our annualMSAA Art Showcase. Each month we share these artists’ inspiring stories and beautiful artwork with you as our Artist of the Month. This month, we celebrate Carmella Certion as February’s Artist of the Month. Carmella is from Philadelphia, PA.
About the Artist – Carmella Certion
“I am an artist, gerontologist, and marriage and family therapist currently living with MS. It all began with a simple painting of a cat for my granddaughter’s room, after I gave it a mini-makeover last summer during the pandemic. I mostly paint abstracts, land, and cityscapes and I’ve only taken one class. My studio is located in my Philadelphia, PA bedroom where I mostly paint in bed due to a plethora of health challenges. I find painting relaxing and it also helps ward off depression and anxiety, which I suffer from periodically. I love to use bright colors, geometric shapes and texture in my work and my philosophy is simple: Art should be fun!”
To see more about Carmella and the rest of our artists, please visit our Art Showcase.
So here we are in mid-January… long past New Year countdowns and the making (and breaking) of resolutions. Although it is different for me now, when I was younger, New Year’s was the grand finale to 365 days, worthy of much celebration.
I can still remember my first and only formal New Year’s party held in a glamourous ballroom. My husband and I were in our 20s and completely inexperienced with swanky affairs. Soon after arriving, I proudly stood in my evening gown alongside my husband in his borrowed tux as he uncorked the first bottle of champagne at our table. I can still see the cork shooting from the bottle and hitting the woman on the other side of our table smack-dab in the center of her forehead. Fortunately, my New Year celebrations are much quieter now – and much safer for those around me!
With each new year, I think about what’s ahead, what I can control, and what will make the next 12 months fulfilling for me. Instead of pushing myself to do more or be better, my approach this year for health management is to track what helps me manage my health with methods that are easy to use and visually informative.
Knowing what my body needs is an ever-changing puzzle, and tracking provides clues for what could be the cause or remedy for things contributing to health challenges. Add aging and menopause to living with Multiple Sclerosis, and knowing how to best manage my changing body is not easy.
MSAA features the work of many talented artists affected by multiple sclerosis as part of our annual MSAA Art Showcase. Each month we share these artists’ inspiring stories and beautiful artwork with you as our Artist of the Month. This month, we celebrate Hope Angel as the January Artist of the Month. Hope is from Seattle, WA.