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March is National MS Education and Awareness Month®. According to a new study nearly one million people are living with MS in the United States alone. This is more than double the original estimate of people living in the US with MS than the most recent study. There are also an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide who are living with this devastating disease. The good news is there is strength in numbers. This year it is time for us to come together and have our collective voices heard.

To make our voices heard, let’s take to social media during National MS Education and Awareness Month and Flex Your MS Muscle. Here is how we’ll do it:

Roll up your sleeve, make a fist, hold out your arm, and flex your muscle. Snap a photo and use #FlexMSMuscle to show others how you are fighting MS. If you tag me or MS Focus, we’ll regram and retweet your photo.

You can flex your MS muscle literally and figuratively. Show us the unique ways that you show your MS strength. Take me for example. Here are three ways that I #FlexMSMuscle to raise awareness and advocate for those like me living with MS. 

I #FlexMSMuscle every time I write to help people like me with MS: Matt’s writing

Or

I #FlexMSMuscle every time I share a MS Story on my podcast: Patient Activation Network Podcast

Or

I #FlexMSMuscle every time I speak to others about MS: Matt’s speaking 

So, during MS Awareness month, I will take a photo of me flexing my creative muscles and include the hashtag: #FlexMSMuscle. The hashtag is important because this is how we’ll see all of your awesome posts if we’re not already connected on social media. 

Even if you don’t have a blog, art, or other creative work you’d like to promote, there are plenty of ways for you to show that you #FlexMSMuscle. Some of the other ways that I #FlexMSMuscle are being a dad, cooking, or exercising. 

So, let’s say that you are taking the kids to the zoo and are pushing the stroller, snap a quick pic, hashtag and post. Or maybe you are trying that new recipe and want to flex your cooking muscles, snap a quick pic, hashtag and post. It’s that easy!

The only requirements are to snap a photo of yourself, include the hashtag #FlexMSMuscle. If you have a link to a blog or activity that you would like to promote, please make sure you do that this March. Feel free to connect with and tag me on either Facebook or Twitter, I will make sure to share or retweet. 

Orange is the color of MS Awareness and with a million of us currently living with the disease, we can turn social media orange this year during National MS Education and Awareness Month. I can’t wait to see all of the cool and creative things that you are doing to #FlexMSMuscle and look for me out there doing the same. Happy MS Awareness month everyone!