b'MS Focus Activities2019 National MS Education and Awareness Month MS Focus helped those in the MS community to ex their MS muscle in March. With the supportof our sponsors for 2019s National MS Education and Awareness MonthGenentech, EMDSerono, Mylan, Sano Genzyme, and Novartiswe crisscrossed the country, hosting nine liveevents. We also presented six informative national teleconferences and distributed thousandsof MS Awareness Kits designed to encourage those aected by MS to show their strength as acommunity. There are so many ways to flex your MS muscleincluding advocating for change andaccess to care; literally exing your muscles through exercise; or becoming more active in theMS community. Our programs for the month provided tips, information, and advice to help youdo that. Many of these live programs will be made available on our YouTube channel this spring.Heres a taste of what we, and our participants, learned.Lexington, Ky.presented by Cherie Binns, RN, BS, MSCNCherie Binns is a healthcare professional who also has MS. She spoke about being proactivein your self-care, and advocacywith your healthcare team.She delved into what steps youcan take to control your MSand your life. She also oeredsuggestions for having positivecommunicationwithyourneurologist and making themost of the time you spendwith him/her.In one touching moment during her presentation, Cherie encouraged participants to taketime to remember who they were before their diagnosis and let that inform who they are now.Who you were before you were diagnosed, who you were at the time of diagnosis, and who youare nowreconciling the three can help you embrace the life you are living and nd peace andjoy in each day.msfocusmagazine.org 20'