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Bullied as a volunteer
Thank you for your article,
“Handling the office bully”
(Spring 2013). Unfortunately,
bullying happens to volunteers
as well. After eight years of
donating my heart, soul and
time to a national organization,
I was chased away by bullies
in management, who goaded
me into situations and called
me aggressive when I defended
myself. I was left with no option
but to leave the volunteer
position I loved. It has been
almost a year and the psychological effects still have me
bewildered, hurt and isolated.
Name withheld, via email
Speed diagnosis—and
treatment
I was shocked after reading
the Research Now item on
“Misdiagnosing MS” (Winter
2012–2013). Per the article,
95 percent of 122 doctors
had encountered at least one
patient misdiagnosed with
MS. I was diagnosed in 2001
and, believe me, it was no
easy road. After four years,
five MRIs and increasingly
worsening symptoms, my
neurologist finally determined
a diagnosis and prescribed a
disease-modifying therapy, as
well as medication to assist with
my fatigue and spasms.
While waiting for that
diagnosis, I was still going to a
job (from which I was eventually
fired due to my medical problems)
and fighting my symptoms, all
the time not knowing if MS was
truly the cause or if I was suffering
from another debilitating illness.
Diagnosis is the first step to
treatment. Rather than making
a patient wait several years for a
diagnosis while suffering through
each day, physicians must be
more aggressive in determining
if MS is the true cause of the
problem, and do it more quickly.
D. R. Boland, via email
Editor’s note: Thank you very much
for sharing your experiences. We
agree that making the diagnosis
of MS as quickly and accurately
as possible is important so that
the appropriate treatment(s)
can be initiated as early in the
disease process as possible. The
Society’s Clinical Care Network
(at nationalMSsociety.org/
MSClinicalCare) continues to
develop resources for physicians
in this area, such as the free
Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis and
Management App.
Reflective of me
As a 34-year-old African-American professional female
diagnosed with MS in 2011,
I was excited to read about
the National MS Society’s
commitment to inclusiveness
(“Embracing diversity in the MS
movement,” Spring 2013).
Before I was diagnosed, I was
told that MS was not a “black”
disease. When I Googled MS
and African-Americans, I found
a few: Richard Pryor, Montel
Williams and singer Tamia, but
not many others. I still have
trouble finding faces of color
If You or Someone You Know Has MS
Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with
an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease
activity and improve quality of life for many people
with MS. Talk to a healthcare professional or contact the
National MS Society to learn about this and other ways
to help manage Multiple Sclerosis.
Address Drop, Add or Change
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