january 2010 newsletter website - ms society · january 24th from 8am to 6pm. ian is hoping to ride...

MS Connection Winter 2010

Find the MS Society online! Our Chapter Website:

www.mssociety.ca/chapters/kamloops

www.youtube.com/MSSocietyCanada

Search: “MS BC” to find the official BC Division fan page.

twitter.com/MSSocietyCanada

Letter from The Chapter Chair

2

Fundraising Updates

4

Family Events 6

Wellness Activities 7

Community Services

8

Patience By Heidi Redl

10

MS Scholarships 11

Inside this issue: A newsletter for the Kamloops & Area Chapter of the MS Society of Canada Office Location: #180-546 St Paul St Kamloops, BC V2C 5T1 Phone: 250-314-0773 or 1-888-304-6622

WINTER 2010 Connection

Defining HOPE

Our Mission is: To be a leader in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and enabling people affected by MS to enhance their quality of life.

Our two major goals from our mission provide hope for the future through the support of MS research into the cause, treatment and cure of the disease and hope for today through our many services that assist people with MS and their families. There are many ways you can help us reach our mission. You can volunteer, participate in our programs, fundraise through our events or donate today. Please contact us if you would like more information on the Kamloops & Area Chapter at 250-314-0773 or email us at [email protected].

Thank-you for your support!


Letter from Our Chapter Chair

Marcia Wilson

T he new year has begun and with it is the opportunity to look back and look ahead to the future. 2009 has

been a time of change for the Kamloops Chapter of the MS Society as our new Chapter Manager and Fundraising Co-ordinator took over the operation of the Chapter. We elected a new board at the AGM in the fall, at which time I took over the role of Chapter Chair from Ross Parkin, who will continue as Treasurer in the new year. Britt Antoniuk has taken on the role of Vice Chair, Leah Card the position of Secretary, and we also welcome Pam Tedder to the Board. We know that Pam, Leah and Britt will fill their new responsibilities with energy and enthusiasm.

This has also been a year in which we recognized the con-tributions of volunteers who have worked with us for many

years, while welcoming the support of new people and organizations. At the AGM we recognized volunteers who have completed 10 years of service for the Chapter including Klaus Mey, Geri Rines and Sue Wilson and those who have completed 5 (or more) years including Heather Calladine, Car-mela Downer, Greg Downer, Lee Ennis, Nick Esser, Denise Gray, Susan Hutchinson, Ryan Kavanagh, Karen Kelly, David Kipp, Andrea Kirkpatrick, Gwen Krepps, Jim Linnen, Howard McAl-wain, Linda Mcnaughton, Wayne Mcnaughton, Ian Patch, Mara Pavan, Savannah Pavan, Marcia Popoff and SachikoTakahashi. We are also grateful for the efforts of the Kamloops Trap and Skeet Club for organizing and hosting the first annual Sporting Clay Charity Shoot for MS; this successful event helped raise money for the fight against MS. We would also like to thank the Ferndale Ranch and MET Engineers for their contribution to this event. Our client services continue to grow with the Feldenkrais Program expanding into the Westsyde Hamlets and hopefully soon into rural areas in our region. At the same time we are entering unknown and exciting times with the new research findings on ab-normalities in blood drainage in the head and neck area in some people with MS. Although the find-ings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger studies and with other research teams they do suggest a new area of exploration that could help us further understand the cause and treatment of MS. As with anything in medicine, we need to balance optimism with caution as history is repeat-edly marked by exciting treatments that do not stand the test of time – either the results seen in an initial study are not repeated, or the risks of treatment outweigh the sustained benefits. Since MS is an unpredictable illness, clarifying the role of new treatments takes time. The MS Society of Canada has stepped up to provide funding for research in this area, and we will all wait anxiously for the results. Further information can be found at http://www.mssociety.ca/en/research/medmmo_20091021_faq.htm. Dr. Paul Dagg Chapter Chair

Updates and Gratitude

Dr. Paul Dagg (centre) and his team at the 2009 MS Walk


Staff News

Staff Trina Radford, Chapter Manager & Fundraising Co-ordinator

Cyndi Lion, Community Services Coordinator

Leanne Fisher, Administra-tion & Communications As-sistant

Board of Directors Dr. Paul Dagg, Chair

Britt Antoniuk, Vice Chair

Ross Parkin, Treasurer

Leah Card, Secretary

Lee Ennis

Ian Fillinger

Darlene Kelly

Joan Hughes

Hilda Buchanan

Pam Tedder

H appy New year everyone! And welcome to a new, and what I imagine is going to be a particularly exciting decade, in Multiple

Sclerosis research. This January marks the beginning of my 4th year with the Kamloops & Area Chapter. Looking back, I really didn’t know a great deal about MS when I first started here. It was definitely a steep learning curve in those first few months! Since then, my MS education has been both formal and informal, but probably the most valuable learning has come from my interactions with many of you. Hearing first hand from those who live with MS, and from the people in their lives, has been both educational and inspirational for me. Multiple sclerosis does not affect everyone in exactly the same way, and I have certainly come to under-stand this fact very well over the past few years. Along with an increase in my MS awareness, I have also had a few increases in hours since I started here. While I still work part-time, I can often accommodate appointment times that are outside my normal sched-ule. Please don’t hesitate to ask for an alternate time if my usual hours don’t fit your schedule. I can also arrange home, workplace, hospital, or other community location visits as needed. Finally, thank you to everyone who has helped me to become better at what I do here. I look forward to another interesting year with the MS Society of Canada - Kamloops & Area Chapter. Cyndi Lion, Client Services Coordinator

Letter from Cyndi

Cyndi Lion (far right) and her team at the 2009 MS Walk

Recent Support from Our Community General Donations: United Way (Donor Choice) by Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way Grants by Aqueduct Foundation – Hope and Faith Fund Grants by Government of Canada (HRSDC) Can-Ital Ladies Society Kamloops Harley Davidson Donations in Memory of: Sumie Tanaka, Delores Gollmar and Melody Cross


Fundraising Updates

M ake your mark in the fight against MS and join us for our annual

Scotiabank MS Walk!! Join over 400 participants on Sunday, April 25 at Riv-erside Park to help end Multiple Sclero-sis. Gather friends and family to walk, run or roll through beautiful Riverside Park and celebrate your incredible fundraising efforts. You can choose from one of the following routes: 1km, 2km or 5km or 10km. Fundraising ef-forts are rewarded with fabulous prizes such as gift cards to some of your favourite places to shop, a great event t-shirt, lunch and great entertain-ment on event day. To register, go to www.MSwalks.ca or call us at (250) 250-314-0773.

Get Ready for the 2010 MS Walk!

Join TeamMS! W e invite you to join the best team you will

ever be on. Gather at least three of your friends, family members, and co-workers to create a team. Experience the camaraderie and excite-ment of TeamMS while helping to further the fight against multiple sclerosis. Have fun doing team fundraising, we have lots of great ideas to share with you. It's easy! Go to www.teamms.ca to learn more about TeamMS or contact Trina Radford at 250-314-0773 or [email protected].

MS Walk Volunteers Needed! Be an important part of the 2010 MS Walk. Volunteers are needed for route marshalls, set-up/take down, food and much more! Contact our office for more information at 250-314-0773 or [email protected].

MS Walk Team the Puddle Jumpers


RAAM to End MS Update

I an Fillinger will be ramping up his preparation for the

2010 Race Across America with (RAAM) to end MS with a 20 hour indoor training ride at our very own RONA Versatile in Kamloops. Ian begins his ride at 8am on Saturday Janu-ary 23rd where he will ride for 10 hours and again on Sunday January 24th from 8am to 6pm. Ian is hoping to ride an ambi-tious 500km in 20 hours! Please come out and show your support for Ian and his team by coming up to RONA and sponsoring him and the

MS Society for his Race Across America. Alternatively you can donate online at www.raceacrossamerica.ca. Help Ian reach his goal of $5,000 in the Spin to Win for MS which will move him closer to his overall goal of $250,000.

Other Great News!

Uniglobe Travel has made ar-rangements so individuals or companies can donate Aero-plan miles to the RAAM to end MS project. These Aeroplan points can help to cover the costs of the rental vans, flights, hotels (at the Start and Finish line) and many other team expenses.

Yvette Campbell and Karen Forbes with Uniglobe Travel are available to handle the de-tails when a person or com-

pany wants to donate points. They can be reached at the Uniglobe Travel office.

P h o n e : 2 5 0 - 3 7 2 - 0 5 4 4 . Email: [email protected] or [email protected].

Save the Date! Friday, March 26, 2010 Fundraising Dinner at the Coast Canadian Inn. This will be an important opportunity to come out and support Ian in his fundraising efforts and to encourage him in his final preparations for RAAM. Stay tuned for more information or contact our office at 250-314-0773.

Fundraising and Chapter News

Simon’s Goodbye

M y trimester is already finished in Kamloops,

BC. It was a great host for my whole group. We will always remember this city. Our next placement is in Lon-don, Ontario. We are really excited for another adventure. We will sure miss Kamloops. Some people in the group want to come back to BC after the program. I really enjoyed living in Kam-loops and working with the MS Society and with my co-

workers. They are very nice. I also was able to accompany Cyndi to the Social Lunch; the people there are awesome. I will always remember the MS Society for the rest of my life. Thank-you for welcoming me, it was a very good trimester with everyone. In the future, I hope to work in a field where I am able to assist others. Being a volunteer with you was a great experience for me. Thanks so much. Sincerely, Simon Gamache.

Simon Gamache, from Val D’Or, Quebec, was our first Kati-mavik volunteer at our office. He worked with us from Octo-ber to December 2009. Kati-mavik offers Canadian youth the opportunity to contribute to the sustainable development of communities across Can-ada through challenging volun-teer service programs. During their 6 or 9 months with Kati-mavik, participants ages 17 to 21 live in different regions of Canada. We are fortunate this year to be a Katimavik com-munity partner. In January, we welcomed Danielle from On-tario, for another three month placement with us.

Find Ian on Facebook: Ian Fillinger’s Race Across Amer-ica to End MS


Family Events

Our last family event was very well attended and everyone had a great time. It was definitely an extra bonus that the Blazers won over the Kelowna Rockets that night! A huge thank you goes out to the CN Rail Commu-nity Ticketing Program, and to Spike at the Blazers office for continuing to support our family events. Our winter family event will be a Valentine’s Party at Ruckers (1200 Summit Drive). The Party is scheduled for Saturday, Feb-ruary 13th 11-1pm. This event is free for participants and includes lunch for everyone, and tokens and prizes for the kids.

This party was a big hit last year, so we hope to have a great turn out again. Please call or email Cyndi at the Chapter office to RSVP for this event by February 11th. A reminder, our family events are open to parents and grandparents with MS and their children or grandchil-dren under 18. If you are on our family phone list and/or receive our MS Newsflashes, you will be notified in advance of these fun family events. Please contact the office if you would like to be added to these lists.

Help the MS Read-A-Thon by:

Involving your child and his or her class or school We have found that the MS Read-A-Thon is often the most successful when we have a MS Read-A-Thon promoter or champion at a local school. If you have a suggestion of an enthusiastic teacher or school contact who might be inter-ested in organizing the MS Read-A-Thon at their school please let us know! Engaging educators you know to become involved The MS Read-A-Thon makes a vital contribution to our goal of ending MS. As well, it is a way to spread information about MS to a large network of people who would not other-wise know about the disease. Please do what you can to help us spread the word about MS and the MS Read-A-Thon to local educators that you know. Contact Leanne at the Kam-loops and Area Chapter office for more information. Phone 2 5 0 - 314-0773 or email [email protected]. Also visit: www.msreadathon.com


Free Swim Passes! We still have several youth and adult swim passes for the Kamloops YMCA-YWCA to give away! These passes will be made available to persons with MS and their immediate family members on a first come first served basis. The passes are single use only. Please contact Cyndi Lion if you wish to request passes. Thank you to both the YMCA/YWCA and the Tournament Capital Centre for assisting us with this program. Feldenkrais Workshops We had two fall Feldenkrais Workshops with Tyson Bartel at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and we have scheduled three more sessions this winter. Feedback was very positive from the fall sessions. Please know that if you haven’t attended yet, we still have room for you! If we have high enough participation levels this winter, we will be able to continue the sessions

into the spring and beyond. The next Feldenkrais Work-shops with Tyson are sched-uled as follows:

Tuesday, February 2nd, 10-12 at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 360 Nicola St. Mats are available. Try to arrive at least 5 minutes early.

Tuesday, February, 23rd, 10-12, St. Paul’s Cathedral

Saturday, March 20th, 10-12, St. Paul’s Cathedral Feldenkrais sessions are free and open to people with MS and their carepartners. Please RSVP for these sessions by calling Cyndi at 250-314-0773 o r v i a e m a i l a t [email protected] Please note, it is recom-mended that you consult with your health care professional before engaging in any new exercise program or activity.

Need a Hand with your taxes? If you are unable to complete your income tax and benefit return by yourself and are un-able to pay for assistance, the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) may be for you.

The Canada Revenue Agency offers training to volunteers who can help you complete your income tax and benefit return if your income is low and your tax situation is sim-ple.

Volunteer tax preparation clin-ics are generally offered be-tween February and April of each year in various locations across Canada, however, some tax clinics operate year round. For more information about this free service call at 1-800-959-8281.

Wellness Activities

Chronic Disease Self Management Workshops:

February 1-March 8 (Mondays) 1:30-4:00pm 310-141 Victoria St. (Innovative Changes) April16-May 21 (Fridays) 9am-11:30am 730 Cottonwood Ave. (Northshore Community Center)

Chronic Pain Self Management Workshop:

January 21-February 25 (Thursdays) 1:30-4:00pm #36-450 Landsdowne St. (Lower Level of Landsdowne Mall) Contact Kathy at 250-377-8883 for more infor-mation or to register for these workshops.

Chronic Disease/Chronic Pain Self-Management Programs


Community Services

Self Help Groups: Chase Regular monthly meetings oc-cur on the third Monday of each month at 10am in the Chase Health Centre confer-ence room. Please call Geor-gie at 250-679-3505 or Lorraine at 250-679-8844 for more information. Williams Lake This group meets on Tuesday evenings every 6 weeks. Meetings are held in Educa-tion Room A/B at Deni House. Call Christina Price at 250-392-7161 (daytime) for more information. Hamlets Cyndi continues her monthly visits to the Hamlets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10:30am. Individual visits can also be arranged if preferred. This casual gathering usually includes sharing of Kamloops Chapter news and general MS information. New for 2010 – Feldenkrais at Hamlets!! Hamlets sessions will be open to people with MS who reside there, family mem-bers of residents, and Hamlets staff. The first class is sched-uled for Saturday, February 20th at 10:30am.

Living with MS Living with MS meets regularly on the 4th Thursday of each month (except for July, August, and December) at the Chapter Office (180-546 St. Paul Street), and is open to all people living with MS who would like to meet, share information, and learn from others. Light refreshments are available. Cylynne Edgelow from the Bounceback program presented again in November. If you missed that session and would like more information, you can visit the Bounceback site at www.bouncebackbc.ca. The next Living with MS Group meets on Thursday, January 28th from 12:30-1:30pm. Cyndi Lion will facilitate a discussion on MS Research. This will be a chance to share your thoughts about recent research news. We will also discuss some of the other exciting studies that were reported on in 2009. Carepartners If you are a friend, family mem-ber, spouse, or caregiver of a person with MS, then you are a “carepartner”. The term care-partner might be a little new or strange to some of you, but it is meant to be more inclusive for those who are affected by MS through a relationship, even if they are not providing direct

physical care to that person. Our Carepartner services in-clude quarterly educational group sessions (if sufficient demand) and individual sup-port, information and referrals. You can call Cyndi for more details or to arrange an ap-pointment. Carepartners requiring emo-tional support are reminded that the Bounceback program is available to them free of charge. For more information about this program visit www.bouncebackbc.ca or dis-cuss the program with your family doctor. The next Carepartner meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26th from 1-2pm at the Chapter office (180-546 St.Paul Street). Cyndi Lion will facilitate, and the topic will be MS Research. This meeting will offer the chance to meet with other carepartners, and to share your thoughts about re-cent research news. We will also discuss some of the other exciting studies that were re-ported on in 2009. Light re-freshments will be available. Please RSVP by January 25th if you plan to attend.

Chapter News

For any questions regarding events or information on this page, please contact Cyndi Lion at 250-314-0773.

Chapter News Continued...


Community Services

Holiday Lunch

This year, the annual holiday social lunch was held at the Army, Navy & Airforce Veter-ans (Anavets) hall on 444 Tranquille Rd. There was a large and lively group of us this year, and a good time was had by all. Lunch was a won-derful full turkey meal with all the trimmings, and feedback was very positive from attendees. Thank you to everyone at the Anavets hall who made this event special. We hope to do it again next year!

Social lunch – New venue and time for 2010! The next Social lunch dates are February 3rd, and March 3rd from 12:00-1:00pm at Anavets hall (444 Tranquille Road). Participants cover the cost of their own lunch, and each month there will be a draw for a free lunch! This cas-ual group is open to people with MS and their family mem-bers.

MS Clinics These specialized clinics offer a wide range of services, deliv-ered by a multi-disciplinary health care team. These ser-vices may include: • Expert diagnostic and treat-

ment services for people with MS

• Clinical research, espe-cially in the area of MS treatment options

• Educational and support programs for people with MS and their families and caregivers.

Please contact Cyndi at the office 250-314-0773 for details about MS clinic locations and the referral process.

MS Research: What does the “cure” mean to you? For people living with multiple sclerosis the “cure” means different things to different people. For people who have just been diagnosed, the cure will stop MS in its tracks. For people who have lived with MS and have experienced loss of mobility and other serious impairments, the cure means re-pair of the nervous system and recovery of lost functions. For people with a family history of MS, the cure will allow their children or grandchildren to live a life free from MS. The research funded by the MS Society addresses all three definitions of a cure. Research is multi-faceted but with clear purpose: to find a cure for MS, to protect the nervous system and repair dam-age caused by MS, and to improve monitoring and management of the disease. Recently, the MS Society has issued an invitation for research operating grant proposals on Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) related to MS from qualified investigators based in Canadian institu-tions. Proposals will be evaluated for their scientific merit and relevance to the field of MS.

Views from Rural BC — By Heidi Redl Patience


A n MS Letter to Santa

Dear Santa, I have been a good nice woman this year. I have helped my children get ready pack for school university, fed the animals asked my hus-band if he fed the animals, and OK, this isn’t sounding very good. Anyway, I’ve done my best. For Christmas this year I would like Patience. The thing is Santa, this “gift” of MS that was dumped on me a few years ago is not easy to live with. Take yesterday, for ex-ample. I sent off a column to the MS newsletter blasting the MS Society for inaction on the Zamboni research. Then I got Cyndi’s emails and conse-quently spoke with Trina. If I had been a little more patient I would have learned – before I wrote and sent the column – that there is action happening on the Society side of things and I wouldn’t have vented my frustration on people who al-ready know all too well that a lot of us MSers are frustrated right now.

Last week I called the UBC MS Clinic to find out what they are doing to help us get ready for “The Cure”. The reception-ist told me the neurologists are debating participating in a study.

If I had had Patience, I would have realized soon enough that she used a poor choice of words. I would not have been stomping around my house muttering nasty things, waving my cane in the air and scaring the dog. Yesterday of course, I learned the UBC MS Clinic is actually working to put to-gether a trial into Dr. Zam-boni’s technique. That was all I wanted, ie. some action on this promised treatment, some indication that the hope the W5 program offered its view-ers is being followed up on. I would have had a more mel-low week with a dose of pa-tience on hand to wait for that news. It’s not nice when frus-tration shortens your temper to fuse-length. I feel like a car-toon bomb walking around dragging a lit fuse behind me and everybody ends up tip-toeing around me, animals in-cluded, to avoid setting me off.

So, Santa, I really would like the gift of Patience in my stocking this year. PS my dog wants it for me too. In fact, it’s a gift the whole family would enjoy. PPS next year I want THE CURE.

Author Heidi Redl

The thing is Santa, this “gift” of MS that was dumped on me a few years ago is not easy to live with.

A Note from the Staff of the Kamloops and Area Chapter: Please always feel free to con-tact us with any questions or concerns you have about MS no matter how you are feeling! We’re here to listen, and will do our best to provide you the assistance and information that you need. Phone 250-314-0773 Toll Free 1-888-304-6622 or [email protected]

Billy Talent and MS Society Scholarships


You can read more about these winners and their stories on the scholarship website. www.mssociety.ca/scholarship Since the launch of the MS Scholarship program three years ago, the Society has awarded 220 scholarships to-taling $220,000. The scholarship program be-came possible when Aaron Solowoniuk, drummer for Juno Award winning punk rock b a n d , B i l l y T a l e n t (www.billytalent.com), came to the MS Society looking for a creative way to use his influ-ence to help youth impacted by MS. Aaron himself was di-agnosed with MS when he was 22. 2010-2011 Scholarships Available! Who is eligible? Applicants must be – • Age 25 and under, • High school seniors or high

school graduates (or GED) who have MS or a parent with MS.

• A Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who is enrolled or plans to enroll part-time (minimum six credits) or full-time in an undergraduate course of study at an accredited two-or four-year institution lo-cated in Canada.

• Enrolled in at least *six

Kamloops & Area Chapter Students Awarded MS Scholarships

The MS Society of Canada Scholarship Program, sup-ported by Billy Talent and Friends, is a post-secondary scholarship program for teens and young adults in Canada who have MS or who have a parent with MS. The selection process for the 2009 MS Society of Canada Scholarship Program, sup-ported by Billy Talent and Friends, was completed and we are pleased to announce that four individuals in our chapter area have been awarded scholarships includ-ing: Becky Radermacher, Chase, BC, University of Calgary, Fine Arts Lori Rasmussen, Merritt, BC, University of Calgary, Psychol-ogy/Com. Rehab Benjamin Redl, 150 Mile House, BC, University of Al-berta, Civil Engineering Samuel Redl, 150 Mile House, BC, University of Al-berta, Engineering.

credit hours per semester in course work leading to a de-gree, license, or certificate.

• People who live outside Can-ada who are, or whose par-ents are, in the Canadian military or government ser-vice are eligible as long as they meet the basic eligibility requirements.

*Applicants who are enrolled part-time (minimum six credit hours) must provide the number of credit hours they will pursue and explain the reasons for part-time study. How much money is given to each individual? Awards of $500, $750 or $1000 each will be granted. Awards to part-time students will be pro-rated based on number of credit hours ($500 for enrollment at six credit hours and $750 for enroll-ment at nine credit hours). Where can I get an application form? The application form is available to download at www.mssociety.ca/scholarship, and the application deadline is March 1st, 2010.

Show your support for Billy Talent in Concert in Kamloops! Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Interior Savings Centre, 6:45pm. Tickets available at www.tickemaster.com or www.livenation.com


Acknowledgements Thank you to the Province of British Columbia and Kamloops North Rotary Club for funding this newsletter. Contributors Trina Radford, Cyndi Lion, Dr. Paul Dagg, Heidi Redl, Simon Gamache, and Leanne Fisher

Kamloops & Area Chapter Contact us at: 250-314-0773 or 1-888-304-6622 [email protected] www.mssociety.ca/chapters/kamloops

Winter 2010 Please return Undeliverable mail to:

Final Notes

2010 Calendar of Events

January 23,24 - RAAM Event @ RONA January 26 - Carepartners Meeting January 28 - Living with MS Group February 2 - Feldenkrais Workshop February 3 - MS Social Lunch February 13 - Family Event at Ruckers February 23 - Feldenkrais Workshop February 25 - Living with MS Group March 1 - MS Scholarship Application Deadline March 3 - MS Social Lunch March 6 - Billy Talent Concert March 20 - Feldenkrais Workshop March 25 - Living with MS March 26 - RAAM to End MS Fundrais-ing Dinner April 25 - 2010 MS Walk

january 2010 newsletter website - ms society · january 24th from 8am to 6pm. ian is hoping to ride...

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