As many of you may have heard, in a few short weeks, April 17-18, I will be riding my bike from Houston to Austin in the MS150 to raise money for the National MS Society. The National MS Society serves to move research forward by relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment, and a cure; to move to reach out and respond to individuals, families and communities living with MS; and to move politicians and legislation to champion the needs of people with MS through activism, advocacy, and influence.
So what is MS anyway, you ask?
MS, short for Multiple Sclerosis, is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (aka the Central Nervous System or CNS). In MS, the body's white blood cells attack tissue called myelin sheath. Myelin sheaths are the protective covering for nerve fibers in the brain. Much like an electric wire is insulated with rubber or plastic, the myelin sheaths cover nerve fibers as they transmit nerve impulses within the brain. When a myelin sheath is worn down or destroyed, the process is called demyelination. Demyelination causes the nerve fiber to be exposed. The exposed nerve fiber is less able to transmit nerve impulses. As a result, messages between different parts of the body are not transmitted as effectively. After the myelin is destroyed, scar tissue called sclerosis is left behind in the damaged areas, which are referred to as lesions or plaques.
Here’s a pic for you visual folks—
So what does that really mean?
Demyelination can take place anywhere in the CNS and cause a myriad of symptoms that vary from person to person. MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, and blindness and more.
Who is affected?
MS affects over 400,000 people in the United States and up to 2.5 million people worldwide. Since most people are diagnosed before they turn 30, MS has been called the most common disability-causing illness for people under 45-years-old.
· Women are 70% more likely to have MS than men.
· People of European descent are twice as likely to have MS as African Americans and Asian Americans.
· MS also occurs more often in relatives of people with MS—Children, siblings, and nonidentical twins of someone with MS have a one in 100 to one in 40 chance of having MS themselves. The identical twin of someone with MS has a one in four chance of having MS.
· Multiple sclerosis is more common in cooler areas of the globe. In the United States, Northern states have higher rates of MS than Southern states, and Canada has a rate of MS double that of the US.
A Little Closer to Home
My dad was actually once diagnosed with MS—though if you know anything about my dad, his words on the subject were rather few and vague. “Well, I dunno what it was, they said MS, but whatever it was sure made me sick.” That’s about all I can get out of him on the topic. Silly man. Maybe one day I can sneak him into an MRI when he’s not looking and check him out, but until then the mystery remains unsolved.
In November 2009, I spent 4 weeks on the Memorial Hermann neurology service, and while neurology is by far not my forte, I sure did learn a lot—a lot that far surpassed the treatment of those with some sort of, well, neurologic problem. We had many folks on our service suffering from MS exacerbations as the heat provokes such, but one particular woman stands out in my mind. We’ll call her Ms. Felicidad. She was a rather pleasant woman who we spoke with each day. When she arrived, she was having trouble with her vision and was unable to move any of her extremities. After a week of intense treatment, we had her back to her baseline of functioning—still unable to feed or cloth herself without assistance, unable to see in some visual fields, and trouble with memory. Despite all her problems, or maybe inspite of them, what sticks out most glaringly about her was her gratefulness. Every day she would show off her ability to raise her right arm. She did it with such difficulty, but she was so excited to be able to move at all. She was the strongest woman I’ve met in quite awhile—her drive to keep fighting for life even a life that was still imperfect at best, was astounding. Her smile and her laughter will be hard to forget.
Thanks for reminding me to be grateful and rejoice always, Ms. Felicidad. This ride’s for you.
I’ve read ALL this stuff, so now what?!
This is where you come in, friends! Each rider is required to raise a minimum of $400 for the National MS Society. I would love for you to sponsor me in whatever way you can—financially, of course, in prayer, through encouragement. Any amount you can give counts and is much appreciated! There is a link on my Facebook page for you to sponsor me or you can click here. You can also give cash or checks directly to me. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call or email me at Janice.L.Mitchell@uth.tmc.edu. You can also check out my MS150 fundraising page or the general MS150 website.
Thanks so much for all your encouragement and prayer! I am grateful for each of you.
Saved by grace. Motivated to race. 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
