Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8Bringing MS Dreams to Virginia – • – Peninsula Friends With MS Support Group | Newport News, Va. 2 Although Adelle Barr was diagnosed with MS many years ago, it wasn’t until 2005 that she received her diagnosis of progressive MS. As her MS progressed, she found herself questioning her place in the world. “I have always believed that with every negative, if you look hard enough, there is a positive,” Adelle said. “There’s an old song that says, ‘Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and don’t mess with Mr. In-Between!’ As a minister, I believed this, but when my MS progressed to the point that I thought I could no longer do the things I loved, I got very discouraged and thought and felt as though I was not needed anymore. Pain, spasms and the increasing inability to walk without assistance and then needing a wheelchair, all added to that feeling.” Still, Adelle did not want to let that feeling overtake her. She said, “MS doesn’t mean ‘you can’t do…’ but that you need to find a ‘new way of doing.’” Adelle was determined to find hers. At the time, Adelle was living in Massachusetts andseekingnewmeansofsupportandencourage- ment. Her neurologist told her about a new organization founded by a woman with MS. Adelle said, “He said it was different than any- thing I had known. I finally decided to see if he was right. The MS Dream Center was exactly what he said. It was started by a woman, like me, with progressive MS, Marie Perna. From the moment I walked in, I knew my doctor was right. The first thing she asked people as they came in was, ‘What did you do before MS?’ There were art teachers, attorneys and many others who all brought and shared their talents. When she asked me, I said, ‘I’m an ordained ministerandusedtopastorachurch.”Herresponse was,‘Wonderful!Ineedaspiritualsupportperson!’” ThatwasAdelle’s“cando”moment—themoment she found her new way of doing the thing she was most passionate about. When Adelle found herself moving to Virginia a couple years later, she knew that she wanted to spread the hope and encouragement she had received through the group meetings at the MS Dream Center to her new MS community in Virginia. Adelle said, “I wanted to share with others that their talents and gifts hadn’t ended, just changed! The group up north met for four hours, three times a week and filled it with many differentactivities.Whilethatworkedwonderfully for them, I knew it was something that I couldn’t do. I did, however, want to pattern my group after what I had there. I wanted those who came to my group to know they were still able to share whatever their talent was before MS.” Adelle contacted the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and applied to start a group as part of its Independent Support Group Network. One of the biggest hurdles Adelle encountered was finding a permanent meeting place that would be a good fit for her group. Adelle said, “I went to community centers and, even some churches and was told there would either be a fee or, if something came up in their organization, we would not be able to meet. Finally, I secured a room at the local library where we met for a few months. Then we were told that renovations were being done and we had to leave.” Luckily, Adelle met someone who kindly offered for the group to meet at the assisted living facility that she managed. The location was great, however, the area’s paratransit services did not travel there, so attendance was greatly affected. As meeting location problems mounted,