Your Questions Answered – Hear Directly From Dr. Cramer on What This Change Means for You
With a deep sense of gratitude for her years of dedicated service to the Multiple Sclerosis community, the MS Alliance of Virginia presents this candid and informative farewell interview with Dr. Jill Cramer. As she embarks on a new chapter, Dr. Cramer graciously shares the personal reasons behind her transition, offers crucial guidance for her patients navigating this change, and reflects on her impactful journey. We extend our sincerest thanks to Dr. Cramer for her unwavering commitment and wish her the very best in all her future endeavors.
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Katie Meyer to Speak to VTCSOM Students.
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) is employing an innovative educational method known as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to prepare its students for future careers. Through this approach, students interact directly with individuals living with conditions like Multiple Sclerosis (MS), gaining real-world perspectives on the diseases they will one day treat.
MS patient and advocate, Katie Meyer, will soon be sharing her experience with students in the program for the third year in a row. Katie, who was diagnosed with MS in 2013, has been a dedicated volunteer with the MS Alliance of VA (MSAV) since its founding and currently serves as a co-facilitator for our online MS Support Group Meetings. Katie hopes students will understand the individuality of this disease, “MS manifests differently in each person, and symptoms can change rapidly. Despite these challenges, those of us with MS must constantly advocate for ourselves – with insurance and pharmaceutical companies, employers, and sometimes even our own families who may not fully grasp the nature of this invisible illness. If our doctors can understand all of the moving parts that make up the MS patient, they can then give us better care.” Read full story HERE.
Mindful Management
Being of the scientific persuasion, I've been quick to judge "alternative" treatments and stuck to well-tested, peer-reviewed ones — the more clinical, the better. So mindfulness has always felt like a bit of a stretch for me. Deciding to start mindfulness with MS...
New Website Offers Information for MS Caregivers
A new website aims to provide support to caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The site, MS Care Partner Connection, brings together information on how caregivers can care for themselves while tending to those living with the disease, how to navigate the...
MS Bowel Problems: Ways To Manage Constipation and More
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) can vary from person to person and may change over time. But for nearly 70 percent of individuals with MS, symptoms include bowel problems like constipation, diarrhea, incontinence (loss of bowel control), and diverticulitis...
Long-Term Tecfidera Slows MS Disability Progression in Large Trial
Treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) significantly reduces relapse rates for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and most MS patients on the approved therapy remain free from disability progression for several years. That’s according to a final analysis from...
IRX4204 Promotes Myelin Repair, Improves Gait in MS Mouse Model
IRX4204, a compound that Io Therapeutics is developing to treat neurological diseases, facilitated myelin repair and improved walking abilities in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent study, scientists report. “Our findings support the therapeutic...
The Virginia Energy Assistance Program (EAP) assists low-income households in meeting their immediate home energy needs. The EAP consists of four components: Fuel Assistance, Crisis Assistance, Cooling Assistance and Weatherization Assistance. Click on the flyer for more information.
Our Mission Statement
Provide programs, events, activities and services for people living with MS in Southwest Virginia and the surrounding areas, including veterans.
Educate and empower people with MS, their care partners, friends and family. We will guide people to organizations that may be able to assist with their needs.
Contribute to awareness in the community, including educational programs to young people, first responders and community organizations.
Encourage and expand support groups to include assisted-living facilities, homebound people and help others start upbeat groups like ours.