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2 Dear Reader MS can place many obstacles in your path.With over 50 recognized physical and cognitive symptoms its a powerful and unpredictable force affecting your life.Your doctor helps you control it providing tools for symptom and relapse management as well as disease- modifying therapy. But MS affects more than your body and mind it can affect your finances your relationships your career even your independence. If the challenges of managing a disease like MS go beyond the symptoms you experience then the management of your disease must go beyond the walls of your neurologists office. This years National MS Education Awareness Month theme Beyond MS represents an effort to help you recognize barriers to enjoying your best quality of life and learn how to move past them. This toolkit is designed to help you best handle common issues faced by people with MS empowering you to gain access to needed care minimize the effect of MS on your finances and overcome obstacles to staying active. Use the advocacy tips and checklists provided to guide your efforts. You have many resources at your disposal. Weve outlined some of them for you on the pages that follow. Weve also provided information on some of the ways the MSF can help. We encourage you to learn about all the services we provide and call on us in times of need. With help and determination you can overcome many of the obstacles MS creates. Together lets break through those barriers and move Beyond MS. Sincerely The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation team