Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6818 msfocusmagazine.org There is a popular saying, “Looking back is the only way to see how far you’ve come.” Our30th anniversarygives us the opportunity to do just that – to pause and reflect on the progress we’ve made, and, more importantly, to learn lessons from the things we faced along the way. On this occasion, join us as we look back at the history of MS Focus as an organization and discover what can be learned from the journey. The First Steps Towering shelves stood packed full of reference books. Large card catalogues filled with the names of supporters lined the walls. You could have easily mistaken our Program Services department for a library during our earlyyears, if not for the comforting chatter of the caseworkers and peer counselors, that is. They would answer phones all day, consoling callerswho faced a little-understood diagnosis. “Iknowthedoctorsaidthere’snothinghecando, but it’s aboutwhatyou can do,” ourcaseworkers would often say. “I’m going to send you some information about living with this disease.” During those first years, there were no FDA- approved, disease-modifing treatments available and little research into alternative therapies was being done. The MS Focus staff had to think beyond what little was available at the time.Theyneeded to look ahead and see the possibilities open to the peoplewho needed our help. So, what exactly did the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation find to offer in its first few years? The short answer: empowerment. At the time, the medical community often looked down upon alternative treatments, but the forward-thinking leaders of our organization believed there was merit in therapies that could create positive lifestyle changes, decrease stress, and promote a sense of well-being. We gathered as much information on both traditional and alternative treatments as we could fit on our bookshelves. This enabled the Foundation staff to educate callers about options that looked promising for managing their symptoms, and steps they could take to maintain the best possible quality of life. So, at a time when doctors and researchers did not have much to offer, we empowered our clients to do more than just wait for inevitable progression of their disease. We remained forward – thinking and stayed open to all potential options for our clients during that first decade of operation: • While many doctors told patients that exercise would worsen their condition, we put stock in early research, as well as in our clients’ personal experiences.We encouraged those with MS to get moving and offered them a variety of safe and adaptable exercise options. • Formanyyears,themedicalcommunitydenied that MS caused pain. Again, we listened to ourclients and started providing information onalternatepainrelieftechniqueslongbefore most healthcare providers were doing so. MS Focus – Looking Back on 30 Years of Looking Ahead MS Focus @ 30