Community Services Coordinator with the MS Society of Canada, Lonnie Facchina, is currently touring Northern BC with her husband, offering information sessions on MS and the mood swings associated with the disease.
“This is our second time doing this tour, as our first was last year and it was a great success. Essentially what we do is, we travel around to North-West and Central BC, offering MS education sessions with people battling the disease. Anyone is welcome to attend these sessions and they might even learn something about MS or drastic mood changes.”
Facchina’s remaining MS Tour dates are:
- June 16th, Smithers Hudson Bay Lodge, 10 am-12 pm
- June 18th, Terrace Public Library, 2 pm-4 pm
- June 20th, Kitimat Public Library, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Depression, irritability, sadness, and anger are just some of the symptoms of MS that Facchina will be educating the public on. Whether you have the disease yourself or know someone impacted by MS, these sessions offer a little something for everyone.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “why should I care about this?” Well, Facchina explains with some hard-hitting statistics.
“MS affects about 1 in everyone 380 people across Canada, making it the highest national rate for MS in the entire world. Women are 3x the amount at risk in comparison to men and the highest impacted age group is between 15 and 40. We’ve done previous studies and found that the more North you go, the more common MS is. Sun exposure and Vitamin D are part of the reasoning for that.”
For those of you who don’t know, MS or Multiple Sclerosis is a long-lasting disease that can affect your brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in your eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic bodily functions.
The effects are often different for everyone who has the disease. Some people have mild symptoms and don’t need treatment. Others will have troubles getting around to do their daily tasks.