Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that results in gradual reduction of nerve function in the brain, spinal cord, and other important tissues. MS is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, in which a person’s immune system mistakenly targets their own healthy tissues. However, it’s not fully understood what causes this kind of malfunction in the immune system, and it’s usually difficult to predict if a specific person will develop MS in their lifetime.

In the United States, MS Awareness Week was March 7–13, and the entire month of March is MS Awareness Month. People in the MS community have taken to social media with the hashtag #MSAwarenessMonth to share their stories, promote awareness, and connect with other people living with MS. On Twitter, people advocated for others to take symptoms seriously, raised awareness of current medical research efforts, and promoted fundraisers for MS-related causes. People with advanced MS also shared advice to those who are newly diagnosed, from tips for managing everyday tasks to explaining the science behind certain medical tests and scans.

In the past, Project Impactive has worked to help improve the life of someone living with advanced MS. A client with MS was having difficulty staying upright in her wheelchair, having lost the necessary muscle strength to keep her body from leaning to one side. Project Impactive members designed and built a custom attachment for her wheelchair that provided the necessary physical support. In the future, Project Impactive’s engineers hope to continue making a difference in the everyday lives of people with disabilities.