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The stage was set as an eager crowd took their seats for the 11th annual Women on the Move luncheon. The April 15 event was hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to bring awareness and support for those suffering from MS, as well as research for the future. With a theme of Hope for All Seasons, the event featured speakers highlighting the need for dedication to finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. With over two million people suffering from MS around the world, it has become a disease with an undeniably global impact.
“Hope lights the way”. This slogan led the opening message from Alison Bonebrake and Sarah Rogers, co-chairs of Women on the Move, and had a uniquely profound meaning for many of the attendees. With women more than 2-3 times as likely to get MS than men, each step closer to a cure brings renewed hope that fewer women and men will have to suffer in the future. But with so many women threatened by the disease, this hope becomes a personal story for countless family members and friends alike. It is this intimate connection to MS that inspires support and commitment for all the women who continue to hope for a cure.
This personal connection to MS was highlighted with a keynote discussion with Janice Dean, Senior Meteorologist for Fox News Network. Living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2005, her life-altering story is one of strength and hope in the face of adversity. While covering the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, she began experiencing early symptoms, and was quickly diagnosed with what she thought at the time was a “wheelchair disease”.
But through treatment and research, Dean began to understand life with MS. That understanding allowed Dean to flip her perception of Multiple Sclerosis and turn it into a “My, you look well” disease. She aimed to defy the public expectation that MS was a life-ending diagnosis, and show that despite the internal symptoms, her hope for the future, and a cure, would never be diminished.
For Dean however, simply persevering with MS would not be enough. She took her condition public, saying: “[I] just wanted to find people who were doing alright. I needed someone like me on TV to tell people that it’s ok”. Since then, she has continued to share her story and the strength of other women in order to showcase a brighter side to what can be such a demoralizing diagnosis. For Dean, the overwhelming support she has received while living with MS is a inspiration to let men and women everywhere know they aren’t alone in their struggle.
Spring, summer, fall, or winter, Women on the Move showed that fighting MS is a cause that encourages hope and courage all seasons of the year. Whether it’s a personal struggle to overcome stigma and symptoms, or research goals to find a cure, it is a goal that needs the dedication of a world audience. For Janice Dean, and the two million other sufferers around the globe, their hope can only make the future a brighter opportunity.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
a global affairs media network
Women on the Move March on MS
April 30, 2015
The stage was set as an eager crowd took their seats for the 11th annual Women on the Move luncheon. The April 15 event was hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to bring awareness and support for those suffering from MS, as well as research for the future. With a theme of Hope for All Seasons, the event featured speakers highlighting the need for dedication to finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. With over two million people suffering from MS around the world, it has become a disease with an undeniably global impact.
“Hope lights the way”. This slogan led the opening message from Alison Bonebrake and Sarah Rogers, co-chairs of Women on the Move, and had a uniquely profound meaning for many of the attendees. With women more than 2-3 times as likely to get MS than men, each step closer to a cure brings renewed hope that fewer women and men will have to suffer in the future. But with so many women threatened by the disease, this hope becomes a personal story for countless family members and friends alike. It is this intimate connection to MS that inspires support and commitment for all the women who continue to hope for a cure.
This personal connection to MS was highlighted with a keynote discussion with Janice Dean, Senior Meteorologist for Fox News Network. Living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2005, her life-altering story is one of strength and hope in the face of adversity. While covering the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, she began experiencing early symptoms, and was quickly diagnosed with what she thought at the time was a “wheelchair disease”.
But through treatment and research, Dean began to understand life with MS. That understanding allowed Dean to flip her perception of Multiple Sclerosis and turn it into a “My, you look well” disease. She aimed to defy the public expectation that MS was a life-ending diagnosis, and show that despite the internal symptoms, her hope for the future, and a cure, would never be diminished.
For Dean however, simply persevering with MS would not be enough. She took her condition public, saying: “[I] just wanted to find people who were doing alright. I needed someone like me on TV to tell people that it’s ok”. Since then, she has continued to share her story and the strength of other women in order to showcase a brighter side to what can be such a demoralizing diagnosis. For Dean, the overwhelming support she has received while living with MS is a inspiration to let men and women everywhere know they aren’t alone in their struggle.
Spring, summer, fall, or winter, Women on the Move showed that fighting MS is a cause that encourages hope and courage all seasons of the year. Whether it’s a personal struggle to overcome stigma and symptoms, or research goals to find a cure, it is a goal that needs the dedication of a world audience. For Janice Dean, and the two million other sufferers around the globe, their hope can only make the future a brighter opportunity.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
