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Summary of the Conference held in Melbourne in July 2006. This report is written by Lesley Browne and submitted for publication in the Mentioning Stuff Newsletter, and was passed onto me for posting here. On Friday 21 July, Mary Reus and I attended the MS Conference at the Carlton Crest Hotel. Our attention was initially taken by a scooter which was exhibited there. It was marketed by Liberty and described as the world’s first truly portable scooter. It folds effortlessly in seconds, fits in the boot of any standard sized family car and is airline check-in suitable. For more information check out the website www.libertymobilityaids.com.au
Multiple Sclerosis Conference 2006
The first speaker was Canadian Fred Steinhaus, who presented his account of living well with MS. Fred first noticed symptoms of MS in 1983 at the age of 23 and was, at one point, legally blind and unable to walk or talk. He descended into despair and unemployment, but has since returned to a full and meaningful life. Fred attributes his regained wellness to Betaferon. He commenced the injections nearly 20 years ago when he was accepted for a safety trial of the drug and has continued administering it ever since.
I have a DVD titled MS: My Story which is about Fred’s life. If anyone is interested in borrowing it, give me a call me at 5334 2593.
This was followed by a recorded address by Prof. George Ebers (Action Research Professor of Neurology at the University of Oxford) and a presentation by Dr Rex Simmonds (Project Manager of the Australian MS Longitudinal Study). This consisted of a lot of statistics which seemed to indicate that there is quite a strong genetic component to MS – not something that those of us who are parents want to hear! This really hit home when the woman I was sitting beside told me that her grandmother, an aunt, her sister and herself all had MS.
Bushy Laird who is Chairman of the MS Advisory Council then spoke, from the heart, about the importance of carers in the management of MS. Bushy presently cares full-time for his wife who has MS and Grave’s Disease. He is devoted to his wife and is determined to care for her in their home for as long as is humanly possible. He stressed the importance for carers to maintain their own physical and mental health and wellbeing. He said that carers need to learn to accept any help being offered by relatives and friends and also to seek out, and utilize, any assistance available through various organizations and agencies. Bushy was presented with the Sir Louis Pyke Award for outstanding service that has contributed to enhancing the lives of people with MS.
After lunch, Dr Craig Hassed (a GP and Senior Lecturer at Monash University) spoke about the important role that the mind plays in maintaining general wellbeing and also in the development and progression of autoimmune illness such as MS. It is now widely accepted that significant levels of stress can be a trigger for such conditions and can accelerate their progression. After reflecting on my own life and the progression of my disease, I would agree with that. This was followed by a Panel Discussion on Employment: Critical Issues for People with MS. Then the Go for Gold Scholarships were presented and I was very fortunate to receive one in the category of Education. The new CEO of the combined MS Societies of NSW and Victoria then concluded the day and stated that next year’s conference would be free. It was a long and tiring day, but a worthwhile one.
By Lesley Browne
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Conference 
