This story is about my friend Shelley who I met at the NMSS Conference in Chicago last year.
You know I love to highlight positive people with MS and especially when they are my friends.
We love you Shelley and all that you do for the MS Community.
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin currently has one of the highest incidences of multiple sclerosis in the country. More than 10,000 people live with the disease, and 10 percent have a primary progressive course.
One of that number is a familiar face to WISC-TV viewers. Shelley Peterman Schwarz is a warrior in the fight against multiple sclerosis, and soon she will share her personal journey with a national audience. Schwarz once a month, she hosts a segment called "Making Life Easier" at noon, where she offers advice, tips and coping strategies for people with disabilities, WISC-TV reported.
"I hope that we can put a face on MS, and also show them that life does go on," said Schwarz.
Soon, people across the country will be able to watch and hear her advice, as she has been chosen by the National MS Society to produce videos and a DVD for their Web site.
A camera crew from Denver spent three days following Schwarz around her house, recording her tips for things like making the bed.
"We're showing some of the things that I do to give people ideas, and also to give them permission to do things differently," Schwarz said.
Schwarz was 32 years old, newly married and had two young children when she was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
"Knowing where I've been in those sad, dark days to where I am today is a great transition and I hope it encourages people to say, 'You know what? I can enjoy the things I can enjoy, and don't worry about all the cant's and can't do's,'" she said.
Schwarz has dedicated her life to spreading that positive message. She has written seven books, runs her own business, and will soon be a national celebrity.
"She reaches out to the community. She tells her story from the heart. She helps people who are newly diagnosed realize that life will continue to go on in a positive way as long as they have a positive attitude," said Colleen Kalt, president of the Wisconsin MS Society. "When you have someone who has the disease telling the story from their experiences, it really truly makes a tremendous difference."
Schwarz's Webcasts will begin to be posted on the Web site for the National MS Society in August.
The DVD, which offers tips specifically for people with primary progressive MS, will also be available there.
Schwarz's local Web site is MakingLifeEasier.com, and her next segment will air on May 19.
So, my title has to do what I won't do next for the upcoming MS Walk. I draw the line at posing in an orange bikini, especially because it snowed yesterday. LOL
Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com
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2 comments:
Good for Shelley!! Sounds like a wonderful undertaking for the NMSS. I hope that many folks gain knowledge and insight from her experiences.
she's so strong!! i feel like i'd wilt like a flower if i would've been dx'd with ppms. but, i suppose you just don't know what you can do till you have to do it...& my word veri is neural...how weird is that?
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