First Meeting Speech by Kristal McCray Saturday March 12, 2010

HI MY NAME IS KRISTAL I HAVE MS.  MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT MS IS.  THIS GROUP WILL MAKE THAT CHANGE.

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST MEETING.  OUR GROUP IS THE FIRST SUPPORT GROUP AFFILIATED WITH THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOUNDATION IN THE BIRMINGHAM AREA.

THIS GROUP WAS FOUNDED ON THE THOUGHT THAT THERE IS NO SUPPORT GROUP IN OUR AREA THAT ACTUALLY PROVIDES MSIANS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET OTHERS LIKE THEMSELVES.  I WOULD LIKE OUR GROUP TO BE CENTERED ON CONNECTION WITH EACH OTHER.  I WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES GOOD AND BAD.  I WANT TO HEAR YOUR CONCERNS.  IT CAN BE BIG IT CAN BE SMALL.  BUT THE MAJOR THING WE WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS GROUP IS CONNECTING WITH OTHER MSIANS AND HAVING A GREAT TIME DOING IT.  WE WILL BE LAUGHING WE WILL BE CRYING BUT TOGETHER WE WILL ACCOMPLISH MUCH.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE?

TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO GET STARTED BY LETTING EVERYONE KNOW THIS MONTH IS MS AWARENESS MONTH.  WE WILL BE STUDYING MS ADVOCACY.  IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY PLEASE GET A PACKET MARKED MS AWARENESS.

IN THE PACKET GET THE BROCHURE ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS BROCHURE.  I AM NOT GOING TO READ THE WHOLE BROCHURE TO YOU BUT WANT TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT THIS BROCHURE CAN HELP THE MS FOUNDATION HELP PEOPLE WITH MS HAVE A BRIGHTER TOMORROW. 

NOW THE REST OF THE PACKET HAS VERY USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT MS IS, FACTS ABOUT MS, ACCESSING RESOUCES IN YOUR COMMUNITY, DISEASE MODIFYING DRUGS FOR MS, SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT AND A POSTER DESCRIBING THE MY SEARCH THEME. 

THE SEARCH THEME IS CLOSE TO WHAT THIS GROUP WAS CREATED FOR.  RESEARCH WILL ONE DAY LEAD TO A CURE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE ARE LEARNING HOW TO MANAGE THIS CHRONIC DISEASE.  THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR, TALKING WITH OTHERS, AND EXPLORING DIFFERENT OPTIONS, MSIANS ARE DISCOVERING TREATMENTS, THERAPIES AND LIFESTYLE ADAPTATIONS THAT HELP IMPROVE LIFE WITH THEIR MS-BECAUSE MS IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. 

I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO WEAR THE ARMBAND SUPPLIED IN THE PACKAGES.  THIS WILL MAKE PEOPLE ASK YOU WHAT IT IS FOR.  YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT MS IS. 

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR FIRST MEETING AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE.  OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE APRIL 9^TH AT 2:00 P.M.  BECAUSE WE WILL BE HAVING A SPEAKER I WILL LET YOU KNOW THE LOCATION SOON AS WE WILL NOT HAVE ROOM HERE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE ATTENDING.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TALK AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS.