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My name is Dave Matthews and for 21 years I have had the dubious privilege of living with M.S.

I was born and raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire, a huge area including 5 or 6 significant cities, dozens of mill/market towns and thousands upon thousands of acres of open moorland, bog, rivers, hills and dales. As a boy along with my brothers, I used to take advantage of all this space, going camping and hiking for miles around. I guess that this is where my interest in wildlife, nurtured by my Aunt who had always lived in the country, came from

“I have MS, but MS hasn't got me” was the catchphrase bandied about by the MS Community circa the year 2000. Have you got MS or has MS got you? 

When I was diagnosed, I fell into the latter camp. I over-identified with having MS. In my own head, I was this tragic creature diagnosed in her prime. Instead of being a person who just happened to have a condition, illness, disease or whatever you want to call it, I became this vulnerable, scared, delicate being. I became an MS sufferer.

Online provides opportunity to expand physiotherapy for people with MS and other conditions.

The lives of thousands of people living with neurological conditions can be significantly improved through the development of a new ‘online’ national physiotherapy service to promote their well-being and prevent disability.

MS Ireland (Multiple Sclerosis) is seeking to engage with the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and HSE to capitalise on opportunities which proved highly effective during COVID-19.

Grief is the one thing in life we are all guaranteed to experience at some stage of life. When you lose a loved one, a pet or experience any loss you will experience grief. And for those of us who live with a chronic illness/disability, we face grief on a regular basis.

Orna Brown was diagnosed with MS a little over a year ago, during the pandemic. After visiting our website and social media channels, Orna discovered our online services and signed up to the Move Smart programme . Below she outlines her experience being diagnosed, and how the Move Smart programme has helped her.

When you receive an MS diagnosis, acceptance doesn’t happen overnight. For me, there was never a ‘light bulb moment’ nor a precise day or time… in fact, my acceptance has probably been put off for a lot longer than is healthy.

It is really hard to move from denial to acceptance, to admitting to yourself that you may need assistance (whatever form it is); because MS is a progressive and incredibly unpredictable disease, there can be extended periods of time when a person does not need to use a mobility aid (or ever for some people with MS).

One of our fundraising highlights of 2021 was our 3,000 Crunches in March Challenge where we had over 1,000 brilliant fundraisers join our Facebook Group. One of those fundraisers was Kelly Byatt. Kelly is living with Relapsing Remitting MS and completed the challenge raising vital funds for a cause close to her heart, MS Ireland. We are delighted to say that this year the Challenge is back and Kelly is once again taking part. You can read about Kelly's story below and you can join the 2022 group here: Join The Group

In the previous post Joan explained the process of getting the VAT & VRT back when you have a Primary Medical Certificate. I have been a disabled driver for a long time, back when I had Relapsing Remitting MS. Now my illness has progressed and I have had to consider the impact of worsening disability when purchasing a new car.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common human viruses and is found all over the world. Most people get infected with EBV at some point in their lives. Even though it causes an illness called infectious mononucleosis/glandular fever, which impacts millions of adolescents globally, no vaccine is currently available (1).

This blog is a guide for anybody who has been granted the Primary Medical Certificate by the HSE and wants to avail of the Tax Relief Scheme. It details the steps I took to get a Revenue Exemption and buy an adapted vehicle.

I got my Primary Medical Certificate in November 2021. I’m not saying this is the only way, but it worked for me. It took me about two months to complete the process. First of all, take a few copies of your certificate and keep them somewhere safe. It’s a very valuable document! Next, you should read this article about tax relief for drivers with disabilities on the Citizen’s Information site.