A poem by Angela Wills, a patient living with MS.

Will Today Be the Day?

by Angela Wills
(Wild & Wonderful, WV)

I find myself scared of what each day has in store.
While keeping this MonSter from always taking more.
I have so many questions, yet never enough words.
I feel so many feelings and none of them preferred.

Will today be the day I can no longer walk?
Or will it be the day I won't cry when I talk?
Will today be the day I am no longer me?
Or will it be the day that I am finally set free?
Will today be the day, my body is no longer mine?
Or will it be the day that, only I, can conquer and define?

Will today be the day I can show I am scared?
Or will it be the day I smile, so my family is spared?
Spared from the anger, the anguish, of what this MonSter will cause.
As it tears away my life, until there's no memory of what was.

Will today be the day this MonSter takes it all?
Or will it be the day God picks me up every time I fall?
Will today be the day I can't share in the laughter?
Or will it be the day, that the laughter, is all that matters?

Will today be the day I plead and beg,
For times like these when I have use of my legs?
Will today be the day I can no longer hold my son?
Or will it be the day a cure has been found, my battle won?

Will today be the day all my fears come true?
The day I've most dreaded since I first got the news?
Will today be the day it takes my son's mother?
Leaving him to grow up, alone and raised by another?

Will today be the day my son graduates school,
And I am not there because this MonSter's so cruel.
Will today be the day my son looks for me in the stands?
Waiting to hear his mama's cheers, for the touchdown was caught by his hands.

Will today be the day that I finally give in?
No, when that day comes, this MonSter will win.
I will yell and scream and throw a fit,
Just to watch my boy blitz from the hits.
I will gamble and deal and plead far and wide,
Just to watch my boy marry his bride.
I will kick and fight and become dangerously wild,
Just for the chance to hold my grandchild.

MonSter, you can bring me down, cripple me, have me on the brink of defeat.
But one thing is certain, I won't be beat.
And when my time comes, I'll know it's true,
My baby boy will grow up knowing "Your Mama fought that MonSter to always be with you."

But, today is not going to be that day...

(Cited: http://www.life-in-spite-of-ms.com/will-today-be-the-day.html   http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=multiple+sclerosis++ribbon+&view=detail&id=
1BE2D4555B97BC2B4956F4866E6650A3827CA0AC&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR&adlt=strict )

Graphs on MS

This is showing the amount of people living with MS in multiple countries. The numbers at the top are in one hundred thousand people. This graph shows that the United Kingdom has the highest amount of people living with Multiple Sclerosis and that the US is ranked 12th. This graph got its information from multi-sclerosis.org.

This shows how Multiple Sclerosis attacks the human body. It explains that T cells slip out of the blood veins and attack the myelin sheaths- the covering on the outside of the nerve fibers- and them after the T cells strip the sheaths the nerves progressively destroyed. Once a nerve cell has been damaged there is a possible but almost no chance of ever regaining usage of that nerve. Also on the right side it shows three of the types of medicines that are used to slow down MS and how they work.

Research Memo

Hypothesis:

                Approximately 2.5 million people are affected by Multiple Sclerosis worldwide although that can seem like a great number; however, there are 7 billion people in the world. (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2010) The first question on the survey asked the respondents if they know what Multiple Sclerosis is and if they are aware of the affects of it; therefore, announcing the topic of my survey to them.  As I conduct my research, I expect that my respondents will not be aware of what Multiple Sclerosis is and how it affects the people living with it.  Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disorder that affects the nervous system and the brain. This disorder is extremely hard to diagnose; therefore, this is why I chose to research this so people will become aware of the disorder.

Context:

                The target audience of this survey was any age group. The reasoning behind not choosing a particular age group was to test the overall knowledge all age groups had on Multiple Sclerosis. I feel that not having a target audience did not hurt my data because it helped me to gather the overall information I was looking for.  Two questions I asked in the survey were asking the same for the same information; however, type of possible answer was different. During the time I surveyed my audience, I chose to change one of the two questions that asked the same information. In addition, I chose to change the question asking about sudden paralysis because not only can there be sudden paralysis but also progressive paralysis. Another question that was on the survey could have also given away the answers to a previous question and needed to change before I continue surveying.

Results:

Question	Yes/True	No/False	Not Sure
Do you know what Multiple Sclerosis is?	5 out of 20	10 out of 20	5 out of 20
MS affects app. 2.5 mil people worldwide.	11 out of 20	0 out of 20	9 out of 20
There is a cure for MS	1 out of 20	6 out of 20	13 out of 20
How many people are diagnosed with MS daily?	A. 15 people 2 out of 20	B. 50 people 5 out of 20	C. 200 people 11 out of 20	D. 500 people 2 out of 20
How does MS affect the human body?	9 out of 20 said I don’t know 3 out of 20 said the back or bones 7 out of 20 said the nervous system 1 out of 20 said the mind
The government should be more involved with the research for MS	13 out of 20	0 out of 12	7 out of 20
Worth taking the medicine	3 out of 20	6 out of 20	10 out of 20	1 blank
MS is hereditary	8 out of 20	0 out of 20	12 out of 20
Easily diagnosed	2 out of 20	3 out of 20	7 out of 20

Difficulty Walking	12 out of 20
Abnormal pains	14 out of 20
Pain and loss of vision	12 out of 20
Tremors	13 out of 20
Slurred speech	12 out of 20
Sudden paralysis	11 out of 20

Data Analysis: 

During the analysis of my data, trends were commonly found. Over half of my recipients were not aware of what Multiple Sclerosis is.  Not only were over half of my recipients not sure if there was a cure for Multiple Sclerosis , but also over two thirds of them were not aware that Multiple Sclerosis is not hereditary.

Conclusion:

                In conclusion, the hypothesis I made was correct. Many people are unaware of Multiple Sclerosis and anything having to do with the disorder. As my blog continues, I plan to educate my audience and others on Multiple Sclerosis is and the struggles that the people living with this disorder have to deal with on a daily basis. In addition, I plan to research what our government is doing to help those people living with this disorder because it is unfair for the government to have a form of favoritism to support the research for some disorders and not others.

Will you take my survey?

Will you take my survey?

THANKS SO MUCH!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dERYT0pIU0VZR0Z4amFGQUxUS2VodHc6MQ"

(Cited: http://tshirtforthat.com/search2.php?query=MS)

Essential Questions

These are the essential questions that I plan to answer throughout the course of my blog. I chose these questions to guide me in my research on Multiple Sclerosis because I feel like they will be able to provide me with an in depth look into the disorder and how the government is helping people living with MS.

• What is Multiple Sclerosis?
• How does Multiple Sclerosis affect people living with it?
• Is the government providing any funding to the research for a cure of MS?
• What do the steroids that patients take to help slow the progression of MS do to help them?
• How do health care professionals react to people with Multiple Sclerosis?
• What is the government doing to help people living with MS?
• Is there a definite cause of  MS?