What's New?

Earlier this week i read a saying, "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." It made me think of CraniuMS and all of those out there who have chosen to take action. There has been some exciting recent developments in research for MS, all of which would not be possible without the funds we work hard to raise for the National MS Society. I thought i would share some of the most promising results of our efforts!


So what's new?

• Two experimental oral treatments for relapsing-remitting MS, which have been shown to significantly reduce relapse rates in clinical trials, are nearing market approval. If approved, cladribine and fingolimod could become the first-ever oral treatments for people with MS.
  
• The FDA approved Ampyra, a new oral drug to improve walking in people with all types of MS. Ampyra is the first drug ever approved specifically to treat an MS symptom.
  Thanks to the efforts of MS activists, an additional $5 million was set aside for MS research out of the 2009 Department of Defense budget.


• Scientists studied abnormalities of blood outflow from the brain to the heart and found many people with MS had significant evidence of slowed or obstructed blood drainage. This could mean abnormal blood flow may actually set off an immune response consistent with MS.

What's new with you?

Captain Crunch

Penny Wars for MS

The children of today are our future for tomorrow. Two of CraniuMS very own members, Bridget Heuer and Stacy Geyer, have used their teaching skills to educate their students on Multiple Sclerosis and ignited a passion inside each and every one of them. The efforts of these children was amazing, and our little community was able to raise $1744.82 for the National MS Society! And what is even more amazing is that one of these children could grow up to be the person who will cure MS. Inspiration has no age limit, and below is a story written by Bridget Heuer and Stacy Geyer which was published in the Drummond Island Digest!

Starting Tuesday, April 6, and concluding Thursday, April 22, the students of Drummond Island Elementary and DeTour School K-12 school participated in the 2010 Penny Wars. The Penny Wars was a fundraiser to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The way it worked was like this: the winner was determined by a points based scoring system. It all depends on what coins are put into each jar! Pennies and Bills= Positive points while all silver = Negative points. Participating in the penny wars allowed our schools to help raise critical funds that support cutting edge research, facilitate professional educations and provide programs and services to help people with MS move their lives forward and help to create a world free of MS. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild or severe. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease. We walk to make our steps the steps that bring us one step closer to finding a cure! Two teachers from DeTour Area Schools, Bridget Heuer and Stacy Geyer, drove to Minneapolis, Minnesota to participate in the MS Walk 2010: Minnesota, Twin Cities May 2, 2010, with their team CraniuMS.


The Drummond students started off with a bang and in just the first day raised $69.44. The competition was intense with Mrs. Geyer's 1/2 and Mrs Plowman's 5/6 battling it out throughout the week but on the last day is when it all mattered and that is when Mrs. Moser's Kindergarten overtook them all and ended up winning the war. Not to leave out Mrs. Newell's class who also contributed a tremendous amount of money as well. After all of the money was counted, (thank you Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Moser, James Geyer, and Jerry Newell for all of your help and for the ladies at Central Savings Bank for taking it all) the total amount of money raised by the K-6 on Drummond Island was $931.59.

The Kindergarten class was given their choice of a pizza arty or an ice cream party and they decided to go with the ice cream party and they will be enjoying that soon. Because of their hard work and the IMPRESSIVE amount of support and money raised the whole school was given an ice cream social.

DeTour K-12 competed in this friendly and simple competition between classrooms that made a HUGE difference. The winner was determined by a points-based scoring system. The first place winner for DeTour Elementary was 4/5 beating K-1 by only 1 penny! The 4/5 class decided to share their ice cream party with the whole elementary because EVERYONE did such a great job. The Middle school competed against the High School and the High School pooled together all of their bills on the last day to win against the Middle School. The total amount of money raised from DeTour K-12 was $813.23! A small school with HUGE HEARTS! The whole school enjoyed popsicles to celebrate their kindness and generosity!

During the fundraiser we were touched by the students who were discussing MS, what it was and how it has affected some of their lives. You could hear students discussing on their own someone in their family who had it or someone they knew who had it and how they were raising money for them, not for the party. Sometimes we just don't give enough credit to the young people in our lives and to the compassion and understanding that they have. We are blessed and proud to be a part of this community and school. Thank you to the students, parents, community members and teachers who donated to this cause.

MS Walk 2010 Part 3

Together, CraniuMS crossed the finish line! Once the walk was finished we found hope for a new tomorrow. We celebrated not only making our goal, but exceeding our goal and raising $11,619.83 to help the National MS Society address the challenges of each person whose life is affected by MS.
To celebrate our achievement we took some time out to enjoy some lunch complements of Papa John's Pizza!
Thanks to your donations some of our team members were able to raise over $1000 each, which earned our team a special spot in the exclusive "VIP Tent"! And last but not least, what would a walk around Minnehaha Park be without a visit to Minnehaha Falls!
Last year i set out to take the reigns against a disease that blindsided my husband and I. It has been 18 months and 16 days since the initial diagnosis in our family, and since then two more diagnoses have followed in our immediate family. Without the awareness of Multiple Sclerosis, i believe many people will continue to go undiagnosed and without the proper treatment to modify the disease course. The response of the team CraniuMS that we built to help aid our fight has been nothing short of incredible, and the dedication of our mission in this years walk has left our hearts touched in a way that cannot be described.

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. Thank you all for being beautiful.
Love,

Heather

MS Walk 2010 Part 2

As CraniuMS began our walk journey we couldn't help but notice the mood in the air circling all around us. Here we were, along with thousands of others, to come together and walk united. Taking in the view of all of the people who share our same goal was breathtaking. People of all ages came out to support those who fight MS. Finally, after three months of fundraising and awareness, CraniuMS put one foot in front of the other and moved forward. Each step we took along our 1.5 mile route was a step towards victory in the fight against MS! We walked for those who live with MS everyday and for those family and friends affected by this disease.

Along our 1.5 mile route we took the time to take a few rests and take it all in! It was the moments like these when we reminded ourselves what we are walking for.



And alas, the moment it all comes down to when we approach to cross the finish line. As we cross the finish line it is one step closer to a cure and a feeling of triumph. We finish together, arm to arm, and in that moment we're all the same. It's in that moment that we all feel in control and all feel empowered to make a difference.

Although we finished the 2010 MS walk, we still have a load of work ahead of us in the fight against MS! We will keep moving forward for our loved ones and it will only get better from here!

Check back tomorrow for more pictures as we officially wrap up this years successful event!

"Captain Crunch"

MS Walk 2010 Part 1

After a weekend filled with cold wind and rain, the day of the walk turned out absolutely beautiful! Our Sunday morning started bright and early as we woke up at about 6:30am to get ready to head out to Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, MN. Our walk started even earlier as we decided to skip the shuttle and walk the 2 mile stretch to Minnehaha Park!

Once we finally arrived to Minnehaha Falls we got all checked in and took in the sites of all the MS Walk festivities. We fueled our bellies with bannanas, protein bars, coffee and water as we prepared for our walk!We has some celebrity sightings the morning of the walk. We were excited to see the Pillsbury Dough Boy (Hoo Hooooo!) and the Papa John's Pizza Boy!

9am rolled around and the CraniuMS walkers started to congregate! The show of support from everyone that was able to show up to walk to create a world free of MS was incredible. It is because of friends and family that we are able to live with MS everyday and feel supported and loved. It may not always be easy, but having such supportive friends and family in our lives is what gets us through it all!

The atmosphere was filled with positivity and enlightenment as we prepared to walk to create a world free of MS! CraniuMS joined the movement with thousands of other people! Stay tuned for Part 2 of our MS Walk journey as we set out to start the walk and inspire those all around us!

"Captain Crunch"