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Women Against MS Luncheon Raises More Than $35,000 BRANFORD, Conn. — There are very few problems that can actually be fixed by throwing money at them. Finding a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), however, is one exception, said a noted author and MS crusader speaking in Branford, recently.
“You truly can solve this problem by throwing money at it.” Mitchard — author of the critically acclaimed “The Breakdown Lane,” a novel about living with the sudden onset of a chronic illness — was keynote speaker at the luncheon. Mitchard’s own lifelong friend, Jeanine, was diagnosed several years ago with multiple sclerosis. More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. There currently is no cure. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter raised more than $35,000 at the June 6 WAMS luncheon, with funds going to assist those in Connecticut battling the baffling and oftentimes debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). According to statistics, three times as many women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a re men. As a result, women across the nation now come together annually, state by state and chapter by chapter, to learn, through inspirational personal accounts, about the effects of this potentially debilitating disease and the latest advances in treatment and care. These same women join together to raise critically needed funds to facilitate scientific research to find a cure. The money raised also provides for vital programs and services offered by local chapters. Since 2001, these dynamic groups have been known as Women Against MS or WAMS. Local news anchor and reporter Jocelyn Maminta, WTNH News Channel 8, served as mistress of ceremonies at the luncheon. Maminta, who joined the station in 1993, co-anchors the weekly news with Keith Kountz at 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. She also regularly reports on health-related topics and medical breakthroughs. The next WAMS luncheon will take place Friday, Oct. 17, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville, Conn. For more information or to serve as a table captain, please contact Kristen Mauro, senior development specialist, at 860-714-2300, ext. 224, or visit http://www.ctfightsms.org/. NOTE TO MEDIA |
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