 MS Walk in Chennai
An awareness campaign - 'MS Walk’ - is being organised by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India, Chennai Chapter, from Gandhi Statue to Anna Samadhi on the Marina Beach, on Sunday, February 25, 2007.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of India, Chennai Chapter, is a voluntary organisation looking after the welfare of people associated with multiple sclerosis which is often called 'Crippler of the Young Adult'.
In order to spread awareness of this disease and to help the afflicted people, the Society has proposed to undertake 'MS Walk' on Sunday from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.
The participants of the walk will be drawn from among high-ranking officials, film personalities, members of Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and NSS units in schools and colleges.
The following celebrities are expected to participate in the Walk:
Letika Saran, Commissioner of Police, Chennai, film director Mani Ratnam, singer Usha Uthup and actors S Ve Sekar, Pandiarajan and Y Gee Mahendra along with TV stars.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system that most often strikes people in their 20s or 30s. In MS, the myelin sheath surrounding and protecting the nerves (like insulation protecting electrical wires) gets destroyed. In such a condition, nerve impulses to the brain are interrupted and distorted, thereby making it difficult for the person to do simple, everyday tasks.
It is not easy to diagnose because it has a range of symptoms such as blurred vision, slurred speech, numbness, unusual fatigue, muscle cramps, bladder and bowel problems, paralysis, which can occur in any combination. A lot about the disease is still a mystery and scientists around the world are trying to unravel it, as there is no known cause.
The society's Chennai Chapter aims at helping patients diagnosed with MS by enabling them and their families to cope with this disease by offering a variety of services such as counselling, physiotherapy, procuring disability certificates from the government (which entitles the disabled to certain concessions in travel fares), social and recreational programmes and visits to patients homebound. It brings out a quarterly newsletter 'Contact' which carries latest information on any research done on MS and articles written by some of its members. The goal is to identify patients diagnosed with MS and help them in the endeavour to 'Turn a life sentence into a life'.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of India was formed in July 1985 and is affiliated to MS International Federation (MSIF), UK, along with 42 World MS Societies. The Chennai Chapter of MSSI is located at the office of BOSCH, Blossom Centre, 30, North Boag Road, T Nagar, Chennai 600 017.
The Chennai Chapter has as its president Yousuf Ali Dhala, who is
wheelchair- bound. Its honorary secretary is Dolly Khanna, who is also an MS person.
R Rangaraj
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