May is Multiple Sclerosis Month in the Peace
Every two hours, someone in Canada is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Approximately 17,000 people in British Columbia, and over 90,000 nation-wide are affected by MS, including 1,200 British Columbians from Quesnel points North.
One of those with MS, Sherri Mytopher, gave presentations to both Fort St. John and Taylor councils recently, about the impacts of MS and requested the MS flag be raised at their respective municipal halls for the month of May.
Mytopher said that MS primarily affects people between the ages of 20 and 49, with the average age being 39. Seventy-five percent of those affected are women.
Although the disease affects each person differently, the most common symptoms include fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling and impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder and bowel problems, as well as cognitive and mood changes.
The annual cost of MS to Canada is $3.4 billion, BC’s share of that was $479 million - $191 million in health system costs; $184 million in productivity costs; and $104 million in other costs.
On top of that, Mytopher says that many of the medications needed to manage MS that are approved by the Canadian drug agency, are not covered by BC Pharmacare. The cost of medication can range from $30,000 to $100,000 annually.
Mytopher recently had a switch in her medication, and 14 pills were going to cost $60,000.
“I was told to be prepared to pay, because we’re not sure if your private insurance would cover it.”
Her private insurance did not cover the cost, but fortunately, Pharmacare covered all but $700.
Medical care for people in the North with MS is not the best, she said. The neurologist comes to Fort St. John once a year. When Mytopher received her diagnosis in 2013, she had to go to Edmonton.
MS Canada supports both multiple sclerosis research and service for people with MS and their families. Since 1948, the organization has contributed over $224 million to MS research. Each year, fundraising events like the MS Walk, MS Bike and A&W Canada’s Burger to Beat MS campaigns support program to enhance the lives of people with MS, their families and support research in Canada.
By proclaiming May to be MS Month in the City of Fort St. John, and the District of Taylor, these communities are helping to raise awareness of the disease.
The MS Canada flag will be flown at Fort St. John City Hall and the District of Taylor office throughout May. Additionally, on May 30 the stage in Centennial Park will be lit up in red.