b"MS Focus ActivitiesHispanic Heritage Month 2024 MS Focus celebrated Hispanic Heritageloss of brain tissue and, with that, slow disease Month this year with a series of Spanish-onlyprogression.teleconferences and by participating in theThe nal program was a MS patient panel Hispanic Women of Distinction Luncheondiscussion. On Oct. 15, Shawn Feliciano, in Weston, Fla. Zoom teleconference topicsBlanca Lobo, and Mao Florez participated in a included research updates on MS, a discussiongroup discussion regarding their experiences on how to promote brain health, and a patientof being diagnosed, the various symptoms panel discussion on the experiences of thosethey've experienced, and living with MS in living with MS in the Hispanic community. Thetheir community. They spoke about how MS luncheon brought praise and support for MShas changed their life since their initial Focus for another consecutive year. Hispanicdiagnosis to include topics such as the types Heritage Month lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.of treatments they tried, learning how to adapt Teleconferencestheir lifestyle, and challenges they have faced In celebration of this year's Hispanic Heritagethroughout. Month, MS Focus hosted three Spanish-speakingHispanic Women of Distinction Luncheon educational programs, with support from Sano,The annual Hispanic Women of Distinction on Zoom, which are now available on ourLuncheon was held on Aug. 30, at the Westin YouTube channel. Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. More than 700 The rst presentation, on Sept. 18, by Dr.guests attended the event honoring outstanding Mirla Avila, focused on the Latest Updates inHispanic women for their professional MS Research. Her talk included the importanceachievements and philanthropic support in of the Hispanic community getting involvedDade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.and participating in clinical trials. She alsoMS Focus: the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation discussed current available treatments, thewas selected for the second year in a row to be use of vitamins and treatments, and trialsthe recipient of the proceeds from the silent that are currently in the pipeline. auction and raffle. In addition to creating The next was presented on Sept. 26, byawareness for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Dr. Augusto Miravalle, who spoke on the topicespecially in the Hispanic community, ofPromotingBrainHealth.Hediscussed$10,000 was raised to support programs how brain health is crucial in patients withand services to help the organization to nd MS. Maintaining good brain health can helpbetter days for all those living with MS. MS reduce damage on a larger scale. AlthoughFocus would like to thank Chairperson Elaine there is no treatment that can cure MS,Vasquez, all the auction and raffle donors, prioritizing your brain health can help slow theand volunteers for making this day a success. This educational programming was made possible with support frommsfocusmagazine.org 32"