“We appreciate MS can change the challenges of even the simplest daily tasks … and we understand how it makes you feel – physically and emotionally. Why? Because we are peers … we too live with MS and we understand it at the most basic level, Share your insight and commiserate with others who know.”
–AnCan MS Support Group website
People in the Multiple Sclerosis community occasionally are a little envious of Dan and me because, with us both having the disease, we have a built-in MS support group.
We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary on September 10. Wow! Fourteen years. We still are ridiculously happy together, and maybe it has something to do with the fact that we get direct support from someone who understands what it’s like to live with MS.
Knowing how important that kind of support is when you’re dealing with an unpredictable progressive disease makes us that much more excited about being a leading part of a new virtual MS support group.
At 8:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, Sept. 24, we will moderate with fellow MS advocate Carly Podzikowkski AnCan’s first non-cancer peer-led support group. People nationwide can join the group online (using audio and video camera) or call in using their phone.
Visit the AnCan MS Group website to learn how you can join the conversation.
The Answer Cancer Foundation re-branded as AnCan earlier this year because it is committed to serving more than just people living with cancer. Leaders of the organization recognized that its virtual group platform lends itself to many conditions, especially those that inhibit mobility.
As with all of the AnCan groups, the MS group is free and no pre-registration is required. Just one click or a telephone call, and people are speaking to their MS peers.
Dan and I know all too well how important peer-to-peer connections are when living with MS. After all, part of the reason we met each other nearly 17 years ago was because we each were self-help group leaders in our respective towns where we lived.
And it was through our dear friend and fellow MS blogger and advocate Mary Pettigrew that we were invited to serve as moderators for this incredible virtual MS support group through AnCan.
We’re excited about its first-ever meeting and are looking forward to seeing where it goes from here!