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Impacting the Cause: Sarah J. Roberts

Sarah Roberts was diagnosed last year with MS. Almost immediately, she signed up for Walk MS because "action and activism" helped her to deal with the fear and uncertainty of her diagnosis. 

She candidly shares her story about her first Walk MS experience wearing an "I Walk with MS" badge, and how she felt the day of the event. 

Excerpt from Sarah's story: "I turned with our materials and grabbed Ruston’s hand. We walked to a quiet area to write our names and pin our numbers to our backs. We had to list the year of my diagnosis and my name on both of our numbers. I supposed it was so all the participants could see and know that it was people like me they were helping with their donated time, money, and the labors of those energetic, sculpted physiques.

Professional and recreational runners stretched like the rest of us—yes, I am one of them now—concentrated on our posture and holding our heads high as we made silent vows not to cry." 

>>Read Sarah's Full Story

Upcoming Events

2/28 Women on the Move, SLC

3/2 -3/8 MS Awareness Week

3/3 MS 101, Ogden

3/3 Intro to Yoga & Meditation, Hailey 

3/3 Cognifitness, Meridian

3/3 Mood & Cognition in MS, Draper

3/3 Team Captain Open House, SLC

3/5 MS 101, Provo

3/5 MS 101, Twin Falls

3/6 Orange Out Night at Grizzlies, SLC

3/12 Mood & Cognition in MS, Park City

3/17 Managing MS Bowel & Bladder*

4/18 Walk MS, Boise

4/25 Walk MS, SLC   

See All Upcoming Events >>

Families and MS

Multiple sclerosis has often been described as the “uninvited guest” who unexpectedly shows up at your house, takes up space in every room, and never leaves. Every member of the family will have his or her own reaction to the arrival of this guest, and each person will need to find a way to make peace with it.

Being aware of the differing ways that MS impacts the lives of everyone in the family is important, and we are here to help you understand them:

• Communication: Each family member will most likely react differently, and these conflicting reactions may cause a disruption in the normal family rhythm. For this reason, communication is imperative to help each person cope with the changes MS causes.  It is not only stressful for the person diagnosed with MS, but also for his or her loved ones. Together, ask the difficult questions, discuss any concerns, create a family support plan, and know the resources available so that the person with MS can live their best life.
• Resources: Don’t wait until there’s a crisis to seek help; all families can use help at one time or another and many resources are available to learn, connect, and get support.
• Acceptance: For individuals diagnosed with MS, an ongoing challenge will be to find ways to help the important people in their life understand MS — and to realize that although MS in now part of their life, it isn’t all or even the most important part.
• Reactions: Because MS is not understood by everyone, some people may not react kindly to someone affected by MS; but this is the exception. It is important to remember that making connections with others with similar experiences can make a big difference. Connections can be made by joining one of the many local events like Walk MS, Bike MS, or other local events that bring people together. Connections can also be made online at msconnection.org and by joining the group: Utah-SouthernIdahoChapter. >> Go now >>

Contact us at for information about our Chapter or with any questions about resources by calling 800-344-4867 or visit MSutah.org or MSidaho.org

Volunteer

Volunteers Wanted: 

Volunteers are critical to our success! Whether you are looking for opportunities to give back to the community, or if our cause has a more personal meaning for you, we'd love you to join our team of Volunteers!

Opportunities:

Women on the Move is February 28, 2015 and we are still in need of volunteers.

Love Utah Give Utah is March 26, 2015. If you're interested in being an ambassador in your community for Utah’s statewide Day of Giving, let us know by contacting getinvolved@nmss.org.

Additional opportunities are available to support fundraising events, help people living with MS, contribute professional skills and much more. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, click here.  

Relationships Matter in February

Over Valentines Day weekend, our Chapter hosted a two-day Relationship Matters workshop for couples living with MS in Salt Lake City. Fifteen couples participated. It was facilitated by a local couples' therapist, Kate Scribner, LCSW, and was based on materials developed by the National MS Society. Throughout the weekend, couples discussed ways to enhance communication and improve conflict-resolution skills. For many couples, a highlight of the workshop was when they had the opportunity to break into two groups – one group for partners living with MS, and one group for care partners. Each group then discussed challenges with each other that they found difficult to bring up with their partners.

For many partners, this was a cathartic experience wherein they learned that they were not alone in facing similar challenges! At the close of the workshop, the group decided together that they would like to meet again within 6 to 8 weeks to check in with each other to discuss the progress they have made and any issues that have risen along the way. One couple remarked, “We didn’t realize we had so much we could work on to improve our relationship, and we are excited to get started!”

The Chapter will be hosting its second Relationship Matters program in Boise at the beginning of May. Stay tuned for details or contact mykenzie.hydo@nmss.org for more information.

MS Awareness Week

MS Awareness Week is March 2 - 8 and people everywhere are creating connections stronger than the ones MS destroys.

During this special week, take action to help others learn more about MS and what they can do to make a difference:

• Go to MSconnection.org and create your own connection image to share with your network and include in our gallery. Then explore the gallery to learn about the many connections others have shared to help us end MS forever
• Another creative way to take action is by emailing 5 people your “I Connect” story and encourage them to do the same. Don't forget to also email it to us at Utah.idaho@nmss.org
  
• If you share on social media, use #Connect4MS

Visit MSconnection.org