msfocusmagazine.org 6 Dear Friends: Thank you! I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude for your financial assistance towards my training for hand controls. Because of this generous gift I have obtained the privilege to drive. Multiple sclerosis has affected my lower extremities and the hand controls are very much needed. Having them installed will allow me to continue to drive safely and independently. I amveryhappyand excited to get back to volunteering and helping others. This will happen because of wonderful and gracious organizations such as MS Focus: the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation that help others achieve their goals. True regards, Arletha Sabur, Philadelphia Congratulations on getting back on the road, Arletha! The MS Focus mission outlines our goal to “provide programs and support services to those persons affected by MS that help them maintain their health, safety, self- sufficiency, and personal well-being.” We’re so glad that our help enabled you to maintain self-sufficiency this way. Some may ask, isn’t helping someone be self-sufficient a contradiction in terms? Are you truly self-sufficient if you ask for help? To answer those questions, let’s break that term down. Self refers to one’s own person – “I” or “me.” Sufficient means “adequate to the purpose, enough to meet a need.” So being self- sufficient literally means, “I am adequate to the purpose” or “I am enough to meet my needs.” By taking the action of asking for help, a person becomes “enough to meet their needs.” You, Arletha, set a goal to drive safely and independently, and by reaching out for the needed help, you demonstrated that you were “adequate to the purpose” of achieving that goal. Your example proves that asking for and accepting help doesn’t diminish your independence, but enables it. We hope you and all our readers will keep that thought in mind as you read this special issue on care- giving and care receiving. Have Your Say At MS Focus we take our cues from you, the members of the MS community. The services we provide, the topics we address, the changes we advocate for are all guided by your concerns. So have your say. We welcome your questions, suggestions, opinions and feedback. Reach us at: editor@msfocus.org, call 800-225-6495, or use the contact form on www.msfocus.org.