MS Awareness Week 2025

Rosie_Scope
Rosie_Scope Posts: 5,553 Scope Online Community Coordinator
edited April 28 in Announcements and information
MS Awareness Week 28 April - 4 May 2025. An orange poster with a blue speech bubble that reads "It's time to start a conversation" Underneath, text reads "whether it's explaining the condition to loved ones or asking an employer for support, starting a conversation matters" #MSConversations pictures in the background show a diverse group of people chatting and hugging. Logos for the MS society, MS Together, Multiple Sclerosis Trust, MS-UK, Neurotherapy network, Overcoming MS, Shift.ms and Talks MS.

MS Awareness Week 2025

28 April to 4 May marks Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness week. MS affects over 150,000 people in the UK, but like many conditions, it's not always easy to talk about it. That's why this year's theme is 'MS Conversations'. Many different MS charities and organisations are coming together to encourage people to break the stigma, get chatting and talk about how MS affects them.

What is MS?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system. In healthy individuals, the immune system protects the body from infection. But in people living with MS, the immune system attacks parts of the nervous system which can make it difficult for the right signals to be sent from the brain to the body. It can affect any part of the body, and is almost three times more common in women than in men.

MS is sometimes described as a 'snowflake' condition, which means that each case presents a unique set of symptoms, many of which are invisible and unpredictable.

Getting Support

You can find out more about MS and get support from the charities involved in MS Awareness week:

As with many conditions and disabilities, talking about MS can be difficult.

Whether it’s talking to a family member about their diagnosis or asking an employer for support. Finding the right words might be hard, but opening up can be empowering.

If you or someone you know lives with MS, do you find it hard to talk about it?

What do you think would help people living with MS feel more comfortable talking about their conditions and what they need?

Comments

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 9,650 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    A friend found out late last year that he has MS, so he's still coming to terms with things and still feels really embarrassed talking about it.

  • kelvinh
    kelvinh Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    my wife has had MS since diagnosed in 1991, over the years I have watched her slowly deteriorate, whilst receiving patchy support from the health services, as we moved around the country.

    After a recent MS episode, we were told by our GP, as we live in a semi rural area, my wife is at risk and a drain on scarce resources and we should sell up and move.

    I don’t know whether this response was out of genuine concern or a feeling of impotence having no solution available to my treat my wife’s MS.

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 5,553 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Sorry to hear that @kelvinh, it can be a real postcode lottery sometimes and I'm sorry your wife hasn't had the support she needs. Hope she's doing okay at the moment.

  • kelvinh
    kelvinh Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    thank you, my wife is recovering from her latest episode but as always it’s partial.

    I think it goes beyond post code lottery, most neurological illnesses are poorly funded and worst, misrepresented when it comes to medical and support measures. The often progressive impairment aspect of diseases like MS and others which are lifetime conditions do not offer the health sector ‘easy wins’ from a recovery statistical aspect so it adversely affects PR for health authorities and career progressions for specialists, so it seems if it’s brushed under the rug or confined to a funding ‘dark corner’ made only visible by the good work of charities like Scope and MS society etc in research and awareness campaigns, even in the face of adverse Westminster policies.

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