Giving hope to MS patients

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IT is not the end for patients diagnosed with the largely incurable multiple sclerosis (MS) disease as with strong support from family and friends, they can still lead a normal life.

Penang Multiple Sclerosis Support Group Association founder and president Peter Lim Ban Huat, who is an MS patient himself, said a good support group played a vital role to help MS patients overcome the challenges.

The 32-year-old said he was first diagnosed with the disease when he was 24.

The disease that leads to nerve damages can affect anyone.

Lim explained that some patients would experience only one attack while some may go through several relapses in a year.

“I first experienced seeing dark shadows in my right eye and eventually numbness in my limbs. I reco-vered after several weeks of treatments but I had a relapse in 2007. I became depressed then,” he said.

“I was overcome by negative thoughts and within one month, I lost my dream job as an art director. My wife had then just given birth to our first child,” he said during the launching of Penang Multiple Sclerosis Day at the Penang Times Square recently.

It was only through encouragement by family and friends that Lim managed to pick himself up and realised that many other patients had suffered even worse conditions than him.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, who officiated at the event, promised that the state government would provide assistance and support for the group.

Seberang Jaya Hospital consultant neurologist Dr Irene Looi (pic) said MS affected more people from the West, as their climate was colder compared with that of Asian countries.

Seberang Jaya Hospital consultant neurologist Dr Irene Looi

“MS is where the body’s own antibody eats up the myelin sheaths that protect the nerves,” she said.

Held in conjunction with the launch was an outdoor charity treasure hunt joined by 200 participants in 50 teams to help raise funds for the asso- ciation.

The participants moved out from the complex and went through Kimberly Street, Prangin Road and passed by Prangin Mall before heading back, looking for shop names as answers to the riddles in the treasure hunt.

Lim said the association hoped to raise RM50,000 to help its needy members.