The importance of the annual Walk for MS was highlighted for members of the Weyburn Rotary Club on Thursday, as this province has one of the highest rates of the disease in Canada.
Colleen Hennan from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Saskatchewan spoke to the club, and urged Weyburn residents to step up and be more involved in the charity event coming up on Sunday, May 29, starting at the Comp.
“Canada has the highest rate of MS in the world, and Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates in Canada,” she said, adding the cause of MS is not known, nor is there a cure, but there are different treatments available.
Noting the upcoming MS Walk in Weyburn, Hennan noted, “The Weyburn Rotary Club has been instrumental in putting that on every year. I worked with Michele Craigen on it last year.”
She also noted there was a decrease last year in numbers and dollars raised with around $14,000 raised in 2015.
“We’re happy to see that amount, as it helps us put on programs and services for those with MS,” she said, adding the MS Society has been able to fund a lot of research into the disease, with some of the best research in the world going on in Canada, in particular in Winnipeg.
“What we’re looking for is to have a good day, and are looking for volunteers but also any ideas on how to get people more engaged and involved in the fundraiser,” said Hennan, pointing out the numbers of MS patients is not decreasing, but is continuing to increase.
“No one knows the community like Rotary, as well as knowing what a problem MS is in the community,” she added.
Asked about the so-called liberation therapy, and whether the MS Society funds patients to get this treatment, she said when it was new and exciting, the province indicated they would fund people to get the treatment, but since then it’s been found that while some people benefit from it, others do not.
“Once it was peer-reviewed, it gave us pause for its long-term effectiveness. We run on money given to us by people like yourselves, so we have to be sure the research is ethically directed and that medical experts agree that it would give long-term benefits,” said Hennan.
While she acknowledged some people are helped by it, the results aren’t consistent enough for the society to risk putting donated money towards.
There is some research ongoing in Canada that they are excited about, and international experts in MS are excited about. One of those projects utilizes stem cells from the patient to treat them with.
She noted A&W has been a strong partner with the MS Society, and wrote them a check for $1 million for this latest project because of the exciting possibilities of what it can do for patients.
As to research into the cause of multiple sclerosis, Hennan said the best they can determine right now is it seems there are a host of factors involved, including heredity and a lack of Vitamin D, which Canadians are particularly susceptible to with the decrease in sunshine in the winter months.
Asked if southeast Saskatchewan has a high number of MS patients in the province, Hennan said she isn’t sure from the available statistics, but noted of the top 10 communities in the province, Weyburn is in the top five.
