Hope for multiple sclerosis

The Malaysian MS society hopes to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis through a five-week awareness campaign.

IMAGINE
trying to type a document on a computer without a mouse or keyboard.
This sense of helplessness is what a person endures when they suffer
from Multiple Sclerosis (MS),” explained Padma Panikker, president of
the MS Society of Malaysia.

MS is a disease that affects the
central nervous system, causing the body’s immune system to destroy a
substance called myelin. Myelin serves as a nerve insulator and helps
the transmission of nerve signals. The breakdown of myelin reveals
itself in early symptoms such as fatigue, dimness of vision, leg
weakness, numbness or tingling in face, arms, leg or torso, and
band-like numbness around the chest and abdomen, to name a few.

“Unfortunately,
awareness of this condition is at its minimal in Malaysia because we
assume that as Asians, we are not susceptible to the disease. We hope to
change this perception and bring much needed attention to the disease.
This is the primary reason we are organising “A Wake of Hope” for the
very first time in conjunction with World MS Day in May,” said Padma.