'The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.' -Roald Dahl, Matilda
Since I got diagnosed with MS in 2010, books have become an even more important part of my life. Just like Matilda, at the mere turn of a page, I can transport myself to another place- another time- another life! A doctor’s waiting room becomes a bustling Manhattan trading floor where fortunes are made and lost within seconds. A bed-bound recovery day can be spent in Botswana taking red bush tea with the ladies of the Number 1 Detective Agency (and maybe cracking a few cases for good measure). My bookshelf at home is full of friends I know I can call on in times of need to give me a ‘book-hug’.
One of the positive things to have come from living life with MS is that I now have more time to sit and read with my children. I can take them on the same adventures I relished when I was their age. As Dr Seuss says “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild to pick up a book and read to a child!” We take it in turns to read chapters to each other and speculate about what will happen next. We stumble over new and challenging words and use them later to showcase our ever increasing vocabularies. Our local library has become a goldmine where we dig through the shelves and sometimes find unexpected treasures. David Walliams remains our very firm favourite- although; when we see the TV adaptations- the characters never seem to work out like they did in our imaginations!
It was through this rekindled love for books that I signed up to be an ambassador for MS Ireland's- MS Readathon. This means that I get to visit schools to explain to children what MS is and how they can help raise much needed funds through the magical power of reading. I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about MS out there and it is very important to educate the next generation so they understand what MS is from an early age. WIN WIN!
The MS Readathon couldn’t be simpler. Every child picks the books they want to read. They can pick as many or as few as they want. Then they ask their friends, family and neighbours to sponsor them. Then they start reading- and reading and reading. Because once they start…
Sign up today- it’s so easy! MSREADATHON.IE
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