Some of the current MS fundraisers sponsored by the National MS Society (U.S.) include the Walk MS event and the Bike MS event, which are both coming into full swing. Both raise many thousands of dollars towards MS Society programs and MS research. For the past several years I’ve volunteered at both of the events: I’m not much of a fundraiser but I definitely can donate my time to help the local events run smoothly. To find out about donating, fundraising, or volunteering for either of these national events visit:
Walk MS (fellow MS writer Nadja is featured in the campaign)
There is also a current survey in which the NMSS asks for MS writers’ / bloggers’ input about online communications and information. If you are an online writer, feel free to have your say:
One of my biggest obstacles and annoyances is grocery shopping. I have to admit that when it’s a small order I don’t mind trekking to the A & P for some things, but when I have to do a big run I get very stressed. I don’t enjoy grocery shopping to begin with: all the decisions, navigating the crowded parking lot (I don’t yet have a handicapped parking placard, but it’s getting very tempting..), navigating the crowds in the store, trekking everywhere for items– oh my goodness! Just talking about all of it is making me tired! Worst is the lugging of heavy bags from the cart into the car and then into the house. I HATE it. I’ve tried to accomplish this during bad stretches with a cane in hand. UGH. I can only imagine using one of the store’s scooters with the ridiculously small basket attached to the front. Nobody moves for me now as I lurch through the aisles, often trying to keep my balance and not crash into someone like what would appear be a drunken sailor. LOL. I can only imagine the added annoyance of a scooter. So the discovery of grocery store home delivery systems has been a sanity-saver for larger orders.
I’ve been utilizing Peapod online shopping as of late. It delivers from Stop n’ Shop, which is one of my local stores. The delivery fees are reasonable: $9.95 for a $60+ order and $6.95 for a $100+ order. The website is easy to navigate and weekly specials are listed. I can also create a bare bones list of regular items that I can continually refer back to in order to save time. Other grocery delivery programs abound. Below is a small list of regional chains (the U.S.) and their programs. Some provide online shopping and home delivery while others allow you to pick up your online order from the store. For your own area of the world, consider calling or looking up local and regional stores online and learning about their online shopping / delivery programs. I find myself much more at ease because of this fantastic concept:
It’s multiple sclerosis awareness week again and time to spread knowledge and news about this life-altering condition. Living with it can range from being a small nuisance to being a great daily challenge. No two cases are alike and no one patient presents the entire scope of the disease. Those looking in may assume that a mild case represents the case for everyone, or that a severe case– such as Annette Funicello’s— is the norm. Not so. We are all different in terms of physical symptoms, although we are all united in our general feelings, fears, hopes, and knowledge about multiple sclerosis. Please take the time this week to become aware of what multiple sclerosis means and how it impacts patients. Althought the ideal is to be aware YEAR-ROUND.
*For information on MS Awareness Week, visit the National MS Society.
*For more information about multiple sclerosis, read MS Defined.
