Download the PDF of MSAA’s Publication: The Motivator – Summer/Fall 2013.

Download the PDF of MSAA’s Publication: The Motivator – Summer/Fall 2012.

It has certainly been an exciting summer for MSAA! At the beginning of the summer, MSAA announced that US Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin had become our new Swim for MS Ambassador. During the London 2012 Olympic Games, my niece Missy not only made MSAA proud, but the entire country! Winning five Olympic medals, including four gold medals, plus setting new Olympic and World records, her performance was inspiring to all. In the coming months, you will hear more about her involvement with MSAA and our exciting Swim for MS program.

Q: When should someone stop a disease-modifying therapy (DMT)? I have not had a relapse for several years, but my doctor has mentioned that I may have progressed from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), in which case I might not experience relapses anyway. If this is true, I would not need to go to the expense or trouble of taking injections every-other day. However, if Betaseron is contributing to my recent lack of relapses, should I risk stopping it?

On September 12, 2012, Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved their new drug, Aubagio® (oral teriflunomide), for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

MSAA is proud to mark the 10-year anniversary of one of our most sought-after programs: the MRI Institute. Supported by EMD Serono, Inc. and Pfizer Inc since the program’s inception in 2002, the MRI Institute provides cranial MRI scans to MS patients who otherwise could not afford the test due to lack of insurance or steep coverage limits. Over the past decade, this critical program has benefited more than 7,500 individuals with MS across the country.