b'King of Prussia, Penn.presented by Miriam Franco, MSW, Psy.D.,Certied Guided Imagery PracticionerDr. Franco encouraged participantsto take time for self-care. She presentedways in which those with MS couldreduce stress and the eect of certainMSsymptomsthroughbreathing,meditation, and guided imagery.Attendeesofherprogramsharedthese thoughts: Terry, Philadelphia - "The breathing techniques helped me to think about how necessary it isto take a moment and center myself in order to prevent myself from over-exerting myself to thepoint of exhaustion. As a teacher, I\'m constantly working with children and it gets exhaustingtrying to explain what MS is to students, and even other faculty. But tonight\'s program helpedto remind me that I need to take care of myself in order to help take care of others, even if thatmeans just taking a moment to breathe and focus." Ron B., Lansdale, Penn. - "When it comes to aspects of MS, and any disability really, thecognitive and psychological aspects are not addressed nearly enough. It\'s a fault in the system.Doctors are always quick to diagnose physical disabilities, but not so quick to address thedisabilities that are not easily visible. It was nice to be reminded of these aspects that I wouldn\'tnormally think about. I feel encouraged to reach out to a local doctor and get some neuro-psychtests done myself."Erick N., Landsdale, Penn. -"The speaker was excellent! She talked about issues that other peoplemay not want to address or say are real. The deep breathing technique is a good way to helpwith anxiety. It was a very educational night. People from our support group came down andwe all took something away that can benet our lives and our families."Houstonpresented by Dave Bexeld, Founder of ActiveMSersAfter his diagnosis of MS in 2006, Dave Bexfield foundedActiveMSers.org, a website designed to help, motivate, and inspirethose with multiple sclerosis to stay as active as possible, regardlessof physical limitations. Dave has managed to cope with his MS bynding the humor in many situations. His presentation capturedand drew laughs from the crowd, as he shared personal stories oftriumph over adversity. Dave also discussed stretching with MS andthe importance of being active and staying t. His main focus wasproviding tips on how to stay active in every sense of the word physically, intellectually, and socially.He provided insightful videosfor our attendees, which depicted his journey with MS and exerciseshe performs to stay active.21 msfocusmagazine.org'