This is why we ride!

MS Awareness Week is March 13 - 17. The week is a time to highlight exactly why we ride in the BP MS 150. This week marks a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis and the 400,000 Americans living with the daily challenges of this debilitating disease. This week is dedicated to strengthening the understanding of living with MS and inspiring people across the country to join the fight to end MS. Help us raise awareness. Spread the word about MS Awareness Week to friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, employees, customers and business partners. The more people who know about MS, the more united we all become in the ongoing mission to stop it.
MS Awareness Week

Red is the Color of Hope on Tuesday, March 14

The National MS Society has designated Tuesday, March 14, as the Day of Hope for those allied in the fight against MS. Raise awareness of multiple sclerosis by wearing red MS identifiers on Tuesday and passing them along to others. For example, you can wear a red MS Band of Hope wristband, Ribbon of Hope pin, a Lone Star Chapter event T-shirt or simply the color red.

Become a Part of the Face of MS

The Face of MS is an online, interactive project dedicated to representing the many faces of multiple sclerosis. It is a platform for everyone allied in the fight against multiple sclerosis, enabling them to share their stories, to hear from others, and to give the general public and those within the MS community a better understanding of this disease. Only by putting a face on MS will we begin to understand what it means to live with the disease. To achieve our goal, we encourage everyone in the MS community to participate by going to faceofms.org and submitting their stories about how MS impacts their lives. The Face of MS will continue to evolve as more people contribute stories through video, photos and written testimonial, creating a more complex, personal picture of multiple sclerosis.
Face of MS

Did You Know ...

MS affects more women than men by a ratio of 3-to-1. * Each week, 200 Americans are diagnosed with MS. A new case is diagnosed every hour. * 90 percent of those diagnosed with MS are between the ages of 16 and 60. * For workers and employers, MS has a tremendous economic impact. 75 percent of all people who develop MS are unable to work within five years of diagnosis.
What is MS? What are the Symptoms of MS?

Pediatric MS Cases Growing

Multiple sclerosis historically has been viewed as an adult-onset disease; the majority of research and support programs have targeted adults. Since 1980, however, more than 400 cases of childhood MS have been recorded in more than 25 medical publications. Initial symptoms have been seen in children as young as 13 months old, with diagnosis as young as 2 years old. Largely because of new technology, the numbers of children and adolescents diagnosed with MS are steadily growing.
Pediatric MS

Fund-Raisers Support MS Research and Services

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports more MS research, offers more services for people with MS, provides more professional education programs and furthers more MS advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. Since its founding in 1946, the National MS Society has invested more than $420 million to find the cure for MS and develop effective treatments for the disease. As the largest chapter in the United States, the Lone Star Chapter serves more than 17,000 people with MS in 141 Texas counties. Of the funds raised through Lone Star Chapter events such as the MS 150s and MS Walks, 83 cents of every dollar is spent toward ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis. Once again, the Lone Star Chapter earned its second consecutive four-star rating for sound fiscal management from the watchdog site, Charity Navigator. Less than 12 percent of all charities rated by Charity Navigator have received at least two consecutive four-star evaluations. The Lone Star Chapter provides more than $5.3 million for ongoing research at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, UT Health Science Center at Houston, Texas A&M Health Science Center, University of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine.