"Advances on the horizon in treating and curing MS"
Dianne Smith says even though multiple sclerosis has made her life more difficult, she couldn't imagine sitting at home all day with nothing to do.

"You never know what tomorrow is going to bring. It's an unpredictable disease," said Smith, a Columbus resident who was diagnosed with the disease 28 years ago.

....It is not fatal, contagious or inherited and its cause is unknown. People can and do maintain professional lives despite MS, said Abra Frankel spokesperson for the National Capital Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Any person with MS, she said, may benefit from some accommodations to manage the challenging symptoms of MS in the workplace.

"People with MS have considerable skills and experience that are too valuable to waste, and a person can sometimes look at transferring their experience into a less physically demanding position if need be," she said.

Workplace needs vary
But, the need for accommodations may vary for each person. Smith said she began to feel the effects of MS nearly 30 years ago. She lost feeling from the waist down a couple of times, "but I kept pushing myself," until she had to accept that there was a problem.

"You've got to be your own advocate," she said.

Smith said she believes it's best for those with MS to be up front with their employers and to discuss openly how MS is going to affect their ability to do their jobs.

Some MS patients live normal lives and are not very affected by the disease, said Geoffrey Eubank, a doctor of Neurology and director of the Mid Ohio MS Center at Columbus' Neurological Associates Inc. Also, a large number of patients respond well to therapies, he said.