MS Nurse Liz loves her job and it
shines through
Tysabri
two-year trial results announced
The Salford MS Society Committee
FEW of us
“genuinely love coming to work” - but Liz Hartley does.
Warwickshire-born
Liz finds working as an MS Support Nurse at Hope Hospital “rewarding”.
So we asked
her why.
“I started
my nursing career in 1986.I joined the MS specialist nurse service two years
ago and was appointed mainly due to my experience working in the community.
It is
special to accommodate everything from the early years of my medical learning.”
How is the
Hope Hospital MS team put together?
“The MS
nursing team consists of six MS nurses and is led by an MS nurse
consultant.”
What does the team aim for?
“We provide
information and support to people with MS and those affected.
We give
them an accessible service.”
So what sort of things do you do?
“I visit
patients at home as well as in clinic.
I give
talks to other health and social
professionals and voluntary services.”
So the MS network is really
developing?
“Great
emphasis is placed on networking with health and social care providers and
voluntary
organisations such as the MS Society.
Educational
courses have been run in conjunction with local MS Societies around the city.
The MS
nurses are also working with other professionals to establish a Specialist
Interest Group for MS to share good practice.
I am keen
for services for MS patients to develop both locally and nationally, working
with those affected by MS to meet appropriate need.”
THE Salford
MS Society is backing a volunteer-led entertainment evening that takes place at
St Lukes’ church hall on Saturday, May 14.
Vince
Hopkins and Joe Conboy have organised an evening to lighten peoples’ hearts -
and their wallets or purses!
The aim of
the Big Night Out is to raise money for people with MS in Salford by
entertaining.
The music
will be put on by The Barflies and The Mearcatz - excellent bands who know how
to get the crowd involved.
Established
comedian Dave Buck will also grab the mike and he is an old hand at keeping the
audience amused!
He has
worked on the radio, in the theatre and on stages all around Europe.
Doors open
at the Swinton Park Road venue at 7.30pm.
The hall is
designed for wheelchair access so everyone is welcome.
Tickets are
£5, so just phone the Salford branch and leave your name and address and what
you need on 0161 707 9848.
Vince and
Joe are working hard to make the night a success but they need YOU to support
it. The more the merrier!
WE’RE in
the mood for money!
An MS
fundraising night is to be held at the St George’s Day Centre, Douglas Green,
Salford at 7.30pm. It is a wheelchair-friendly building.
The
entertainment includes three musical acts, bingo and a raffle.
There will
be a bar until 11pm.
Tickets are
only £2.50 and can be bought on the night or directly from Christine on 0161
661 0869.
WEBSITE
wizard Philip McHenry lines up for the Salford MS Society in the 2005 Great
Manchester Run.
The Great
Manchester Run, which takes place on Sunday, May 22, is one of the world’s
fastest-growing athletic events.
And Phil,
29, has volunteered to wear the MS Society colours in the event, that starts at
10.30am.
Serious
The young
man is confident he will not disgrace himself:
“I’m
training to complete the course in around an hour. I must mean business - I’ve
quit smoking!”
The race
begins near to Central Library, St Peter’s Square between Oxford Road and Quay
Street. He is looking for sponsors (see top right of the page) to complete the
10km (6.21 miles) contest.
There will
be a big screen outside GMEX which will be an ideal location to watch the race
and meet with friends afterwards.
At 4pm, the
BBC will produce a highlights programme of the Great Manchester Run but
transmission times are subject to change. Check press for details.
The event
takes place in Manchester city centre and is easily accessible.
There are
several car parks within walking distance of the Oxford Road start.
Aussie
Craig Mottram, lifted the prize 12 months ago in a stunning 27 minutes 54
seconds from the 16,000-strong field.
Plan
Mottram
said: “Everything went as I wanted it to. It was a world class field and a race
I wanted to win.”
Minimum age
for entry is 15.
Just log on
to http://www.greatrun.org/
for more details.
MEN
Craig
Mottram (Australia) 27:54
WOMEN
Sonia
O’Sullivan (Ireland) 32:12
WHEELCHAIR
RACERS (MEN)
David Weir
(Great Britain) 22:30
WHEELCHAIR
RACERS (WOMEN)
Francesca
Porcellato (Italy) 26:28
A new
Office for Disability Issues is coming.
A recent
report says that by 2025 disabled people should have “full opportunities and
choices to improve their quality of life and will be respected and included as
equal members of society”.
The report
sets out measures to help disabled people move towards individualised budgets
that will allow them to purchase the right services, when they need them.
Advice
services will improve and suitable housing and transport will be more readily
found.
Incentives
for getting a job and staying in it will be improved by ensuring support is
available before a benefit claim is made.
Other
measures include reforming the gateway to entitlements, providing effective
work-focused training and improving Access to Work and other in-work support.
Attention
will also focus on giving disabled youngsters better opportunities and choices.
Mike
O’Donovan, chief executive of the MS Society, said, “We’re pleased to see the
government’s trying to give disabled MS sufferers independence and choice.
“Well over
half are unemployed and many would like to work but are denied the chance. We welcome
the support.”
The report
can be seen at www.strategy.gov.uk in PDF format. An easy-to-read summary is
also online.
Feedback
should be sent to: Disabilty@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk or Strategy Unit Disability Team, Cabinet
Office, 4th Floor, Admiralty Arch, The Mall, London SW1A 2WH.
The
deadline for responses is April 15.
MS worsens and improves in cycles
Scientists
have found a gene that controls the body’s ability to repair the nerve damage
caused by MS.
MS strips
nerves of myelin, impairing their ability to send signals.
In your genes
Researchers
at Cambridge and Harvard Universities have found that a gene called Olig 1 can
stimulate the re-growth of myelin.
MS
inflammation causes a range of symptoms from fatigue and numbness to
difficulties with movement, speech and memory.
The
relapsing-remitting form follows a pattern of periods of deterioration followed
by partial recovery. During remissions, damaged nerves are re-covered with
myelin.
Research
has shown that Olig 1 jump-starts this process.
Researchers
found that labaratory mice, bred without Olig 1, were unable to repair
demyelinated cells.
They went
on to examine the location of Olig 1 in samples taken from human MS patients.
In healthy
areas of the brain the gene appeared inactive but it was active in damaged
regions.
Researcher
Dr Robin Franklin said: “This suggests that the Olig 1’s function has been
shaped by evolution to repair the brain in areas where the insulating layer of
myelin has been depleted through disease.”
While the
cycle of damage and repair can go on for many years in MS patients, eventually
the system wears down and, in most people, the disease progresses with fewer
remissions.
Dr Charles
Stiles, from Harvard’s Dana-Farber Institute, said: “Perhaps the signal that
calls Olig 1 into service becomes weaker.
“Although
this finding will not yield direct results in terms of finding treatment for
MS, we are confident that it gives new insight and direction for research.”
Optimism
Mike
O’Donovan, chief executive of the MS Society, said: “There is growing optimism
that a way can be found of repairing MS damage.
“A great
deal of research effort, including work we fund, is now focused on it.
This
finding is an encouraging scientific step along a road which will hopefully
lead to therapies.”
Biogen-Idec
and Elan Corporation have announced that a two-year trial of Tysabri
(natalizumab, also known as Antegren) has shown a 42 per cent reduction in the
progression of disability in patients with relapsing/remitting MS.
The trial
also confirmed earlier findings of a 67 per cent reduction in the rate of
relapses.
Details of
the results of the trials will be presented at the American Academy of
Neurology meeting in April.
Mike
O’Donovan said “It is the first time we have seen such significant evidence of
the slowing of disability in MS. We keenly await publication of the full
results.”
An
application for a European licence for Tysabri will be made this year.
Position Name
Secretary Roz Fox
Welfare
Team Angela Kilcullen, Tracey McGill,
Judy Whitwood.
Treasurer Linda Bell
Fundraiser David Wilson
Newsletter
editor Joe Conboy
Website
design Phil McHenry
Salford
Branch phoneline
0161 789
3192
Free MS
Helpline
0808 800
8000
Log on to http://www.mssociety.org.uk/
This MS
newsletter is published by the Salford District Branch of the MS Society.
We give
regular updates about MS and what is happening locally in the MS
community.
All the
views expressed in the publication are individual and not necessarily the view
or policy of the charity and its supporters.
Charity
number 207495.