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MS Gala educates and inspires

Inspiring stories, a quest for hope and the results of new research were the focus at the first-ever MS Gala, held Thursday night at the Canalta Hotel in St. Paul.
An evening dedicated to MS awareness took place last week, in St. Paul. The night included a number of speakers and guests.
An evening dedicated to MS awareness took place last week, in St. Paul. The night included a number of speakers and guests.

Inspiring stories, a quest for hope and the results of new research were the focus at the first-ever MS Gala, held Thursday night at the Canalta Hotel in St. Paul.

“We wanted to bring education about what the MS Society is doing for MS research, to our own backyard,” explained Brenda Rosychuk, regional office manager for the Lakeland MS Society, on the reason for hosting the gala.

Among the crowd of about 30 people were sponsors, volunteers, donors, people living with MS, medical professionals and other community members, who, after having dinner and dessert, had a chance to hear from those on the front line battles with MS.

Fiona Fifield, originally of Trochu, Alta., was among the three speakers of the night. Fifield discussed her battle with MS that had taken her from paralysis, pain and immobility to becoming a standing, walking and talking poster girl for the remarkable advances in treatment of the disease.

Fifield’s sister and mother were both diagnosed with MS in the 1990s, while she was diagnosed in 2005, following an incident where she was hit by a drunk driver.

“My life changed that fast,” she said, snapping her fingers as she recollected how she began experiencing symptoms shortly afterwards.

Different rounds of drugs had little effect on her rare and aggressive form of MS, and doctors told her it looked as if they had run out of options.

“I was given a death sentence – go home, there’s not a thing we can do for you.”

But a high-risk, experimental treatment, an autologous stem cell transplant, in Ottawa offered a glint of hope for her, back in 2011. Fifield underwent chemotherapy, which wiped out her immune cells. Doctors then infused stored stem cells they had collected from her blood, while her immune system rebuilt itself.

Fifield showed a video documenting her journey, from the depths of struggling with MS, to her treatment in the hospital, to walking, exercising and better health.

“They say they’re looking for a cure for MS – I stand here and think I am the cure for MS,” she said. The prevailing wisdom is that no cure yet exists for MS. But for Fifield, the fact that she went from times of being a quadriplegic and a paraplegic, to being able to walk, talk, shake hands and smile was a miracle.

“I have no active disease and that’s remarkable for a girl that had active disease everywhere,” she said, adding that everyone, no matter what they are facing, has the capability to fight back.

“Every day is difficult, for everyone, in different ways. But we still find the strength to get up, get dressed and go outside,” she said, noting that for people living with MS, there are extra challenges.

“This disease is tortuous. We battle it the best we’re able and we smile,” she said, adding that from her perspective, life is good.

Those gathered stood up and gave Fifield a standing ovation following the closing of her speech.

Dr. Andrew Caprariello, a research scientist currently doing his post-doctoral studies at the University of Calgary, talked about his work studying MS lesions. While there is a lot of work focused on finding treatments and a cure, he noted, “We still don’t have a solid clue as to what causes MS.”

His work is focused at looking at how MS develops, and if it is possible to prevent the disease before it begins. The reality is people with MS progress in their illness, causing irreversible damage, which he said was a fact that bothered him, and fueled him in his reaserch.

His research, examining past patient history and brain scans, has shown that there is disease activity in those with MS even before symptoms appear.

“This is an early window of opportunity to diagnose and treat MS,” he said, going on to explain his research on brain lesions and offering a glimpse into the work that is being done to battle MS.

Gayelene Bonenfant, chair of the MS Society’s Alberta and NWT division board and one of the speakers on the night, said that the society is “really working on our initiative to accelerate research” into the disease. The gala is part of its work to keep people focused on the work and commitment involved in raising funds for research like Dr. Caprariello’s, she said.

“Basically, what we want to do is keep the hope alive and keep people interested in the research we’re bringing forward,” said Rosychuk. She thanked those who came out, saying “words can’t express the gratitude and joy” she felt in the community’s support for the gala and the cause.

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