New Wave Of HOPE - Support Group Aims To Aid MS Patients
Many people don't even know they have it, others live for years experiencing only mild symptoms and it is among the most difficult diseases to diagnose.

There are many people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, basically the brain and spinal cord. Those with the disease experience gradual destruction of myelin - which can be described as a sort of impulse-conducting insulation around the nerve fibers - in patches throughout the brain or spinal cord, or sometimes even both, interfering with the nerve pathways and causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination and speech and visual problems. It often occurs in young adults and it's believed that it could possibly be genetic.

People in the local area who suffer from MS are no longer alone. A Wave of HOPE, which stands for "Help Open People's Eyes" to MS, is a new support network in Oakdale to help those who may be having a hard time coping with the disease or just need some encouragement.

Karen Basi and Sandy Guerra are two members who helped establish the Wave of HOPE, and are also sufferers of MS. Karen Basi has had MS for six years and Sandy Guerra has suffered from MS since 1999. Understanding the troubles MS sufferers undergo, they decided it was time to make a change.

"If there is one thing I have learned while dealing with MS, it is that there is nothing worse than having your independence taken away from you," Basi explained. "Possibly not being able to walk and having to depend on other things or people can be devastating. So our goal with the Wave of HOPE is not to pay for medicine or to give pity, but to help reduce daily challenges."

Although there is a national MS society that does great things for people with MS and helps in more ways than one, Basi and Guerra said they also wanted to offer a local group that was more personal and accessible.

"The MS Society is great. It's just that when you are already feeling down and are having trouble, the last thing anyone wants to do is deal with mountains of paperwork," Guerra said of receiving assistance through the national organization.

These extraordinary women, along with many other people, recently came together and hosted a golf tournament to help raise funds for people with MS. Randy Basi, Karen's husband, also played a big role in helping with the fundraiser....MORE