News / MS Society looking for service users
THE SHETLAND branch of the MS Society is calling for more people to use its services after raising nearly £9,000 by holding Shetland’s first colour run earlier this month.
Committee member Amy Uren said not enough people were coming forward looking for help from the local MS society, which pays for therapies and provides grants for aids like specialised computers and house alterations.
However, it is hoped that some of the funds could go towards helping Lerwick woman Jolene Masson to travel to Mexico to undergo a pioneering stem cell transplantation operation.
Uren said “not one person” visited an MS Society information stall during the fun run – perhaps mirroring a lack of awareness locally about the charity.
“Our funds are actually okay just now for things that we need them for,” she said, “but there aren’t very many people asking for stuff.
“We do own a wheelchair vehicle, but even that isn’t getting used that much. We’re now talking about getting rid of it and setting up a taxi service.”
The local branch is keen to arrange regular social events for people with MS, but previous days out haven’t been well attended.
“If you’ve got MS and you’re at the very early stages when you don’t have many symptoms, then it’s probably the last thing you’d want to think about, and when you get to the stage where’s it too much, you don’t really want to go out much,” Uren said.
Over 100,000 people in the UK live with MS, a neurological condition with symptoms such as fatigue, vision problems or difficulties with walking. It is known to be particularly prevalent in Shetland.
Uren said she was determined to use some of the society’s fund to support Jolene Masson but added that she has to overcome some hurdles to do so as there is a lot of red tape to negotiate.
The 40 year old was diagnosed with MS in 1984 when she was aged just seven years.
She is set to travel to Mexico in November this year for a treatment that is expected to cost as much as £70,000.
Masson said the MS Society has helped her with paying for alternative therapies, such as hypnosis, which she described as “extremely beneficial”.
“I think the society is a valuable service,” she added. “I suppose for some people it’s kind of admitting that they need help, which is probably difficult for people as they might have lived independently all their lives up until their diagnosis.”
Masson has dealt with MS her whole life, but she tries to remain optimistic, even through the toughest of times.
“You just have to get on with life. You just have to try your best. I’ve got limitations – I can’t just go out for a walk on a nice day,” she said.
“The symptoms I have are constantly on my mind, and you worry if they’re going to go, or whether they will stay. You don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
A number of fundraising events are being put on ahead of her trip.
A variety concert featuring the likes of Hjaltibonhoga, Fjanna and Sheila Henderson will take place on Wednesday (28 September) at St Columba’s Kirk, in Lerwick.
Jolene Masson’s fundraising campaign can be supported at: https://gogetfunding.com/jolenes-ms-treatment-journey/
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