After 6 years of knowing something was wrong, and at least 4 years before that of suspecting there was a problem; my mother lost her battle with Multiple System Atrophy on April 28th, 2014. Of those last 6 years, she bounced around from every neurologist she could get in to see in southern Indiana, IU, Louisville KY; and was mostly just dismissed from all of them as either having vertigo or faking it to get disability. After 5 years of getting the run around, my aunt and grandmother took her to the Mayo Clinic to sit on standby for a week to try to get in to see a neurologist. It took a few days, but she was finally given a diagnosis. MSA. Less than a year later, she was gone. In the last 18 months she went from being able to walk (unsteadily), to using a walker, to only being able to use an electric wheel chair, to completely bedridden.
The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition wrote:
Please join our efforts to find a cure for multiple system atrophy! Multiple system atrophy (MSA) affects multiple body systems, attacking the brain and spinal cord of its victims as they swiftly lose the ability to walk independently and manage their own personal care. Patients survive, on average, just 6 to 10 years after first symptom onset. They urgently need our help now! The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition is the leading advocacy group actively seeking a cure. Since 2013 we have implemented a globally focused research funding strategy that facilitates collaborative projects among world class scientists working in over 20 labs around the world. The MSA Coalition's strategic research plan calls for substantial new investments to understand the underlying cause of the disease and apply this knowledge to the development of disease modifying therapeutics. Can we count on your support? Please consider making a gift to the MSA Coalition today. Every credit card donation to this page goes straight to the MSA Coalition and it also counts in our total raised for the Crowdrise Holiday Challenge which offers up to $150,000 as prize money to the top fundraising charity. With the help of our matching donors and grass roots team members we are proud to say we have won the 3rd place cash prize in this challenge for two years running. Please help us WIN an additional $150,000 for MSA in 2017! WILL YOU GIVE NOW and help bring HOPE this holiday season? Your financial support to the MSA Coalition this Holiday Season will keep alive the hope of finding a cure for multiple system atrophy while providing compassionate support and informative resources now for families in need. Thanks so much for your generous support! Happy Holidays from the MSA Coalition!
