PERSEVERANCE=Real Heros: Trauma Center Nurse Kim Womack
“My diagnosis 4 years ago has to catch up with me,” she says. “I have MS. I’m not disabled. I’m intelligent and upbeat and by the way, I have MS.”

Richard Cohen explained he discovered a trend that became a power influence in his life: People afflicted with MS want to talk to people in the same boat..."The Waterbury Connecticut Newspaper"
Cohen, who wrote a best-selling book about his struggles with the disease, at home and at work, explained he discovered a trend that became a power influence in his life: People afflicted with MS want to talk to people in the same boat.

"It's positive reinforcement no matter where you look," said Canton resident Zimmerman, bracing herself with a wooden cane as women rolled by in wheelchairs. "We all have the same diagnosis, but we each have our own disease."..MORE: "The Waterbury Connecticut Newspaper".

PERSEVERANCE: BREEDERS CUP WIN! McLaughlin on his battle with MS: "
'Well, I feel like I'm very lucky. I'm one of the lucky ones with MS . I'm able to keep going on a regular basis. I don't walk as well as I used to, but this is the best medication you could have, winning a $5
million race.

But MS has entered my life and I've handled it the best that I can. I'm lucky I have a great team of people with me and a support group in my wife and kids and family.'"....MORE:

GREAT STORY OF PERSEVERANCE: Thousands Running In NYC Marathon Sunday...PLUS a woman known as the world's slowest marathoner
Competing alongside some of the world’s greatest athletes, such as former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, will be a woman known as the world's slowest marathoner.

Koplowitz, who is afflicted with multiple sclerosis, has participated in 20 marathons, 18 of them in New York City.

Her projected finish time: about 28 hours.

Koplowitz intends to get a head start Sunday by beginning around 5 a.m., and she expects to finish between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday.
Friends and family will help her along the way as she walks the course.
Members of the New York City chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society are planning to greet Koplowitz at the finish line.... MORE ON WNBC

Trey Fortner and Potter are part of Shannon Hoelzel’s strong support group as she fights multiple sclerosis with a positive attitude
PERSEVERANCE=Real Heros: Meeting one of life's big challenges
"At first Shannon Hoelzel just felt tired. Really tired. The kind of tired that doesn't go away, not even with eight hours of sleep. Next she started to get migraines and then her vision started to blur and double, even when she didn't have a headache.

Not knowing what was wrong or not being taken seriously when she knew something was wrong was even harder than hearing the diagnosis: multiple schlerosis.

Hoelzel, 27, who grew up in Plymouth and graduated from Armstrong High School, was diagnosed two years ago. When doctors gave her a MRI and found lesions indicative of MS, they followed with a spinal tap. Other possible illnesses, such as lupus, were ruled out, and doctors said her symptoms were indicative of MS. That day, Dec. 22, 2004, is etched in Hoelzel's memory.

"It is not really what I asked Santa for, but it was a relief," she said.

Now taking medications to help her deal with the illness, Hoelzel's naturally optimistic outlook is back in full force. She's working, and she's making plans to get the degree she didn't complete before, when fatigue sidelined her plans.

Hoelzel also is trying to lead others with MS into taking a positive approach to their illness and to take care of themselves.

"Every day is a new experience," she said. "Of course, I have my 'down' days. I find brownies and ice cream take care of them."

As a person with MS, Hoelzel needs to have an annual MRI. She also needs to keep stress down and make sure she gets enough rest.

"I'm blessed I don't have walking problems," she said. "Everybody has their burdens to bear, and everybody needs some support.

"I had to try so hard not to hold life by the throat. I had to realize the only thing I can control any more is my reaction and my perspective. I leave the rest to God."

When Hoelzel was diagnosed, she didn't know anyone her age with MS. That has changed.

"There's an instant connection," she said. "They understand what you're going through. They are people I wouldn't have met if I didn't have MS. Being able to represent them in the media is so great."



There are 400,000 diagnosed cases of MS in the U.S., and 7,500 in Minnesota and western Wisconsin alone, Hoelzel said.

Instead of sitting home feeling sorry for herself, Hoelzel believes in making plans for the future and setting goals for herself. Some goals are simply fun ones, such as hiking in the Grand Canyon this summer, and others involve life changes, such as going back to school.

"As my dad says, 'Whether you think you can or can't, you're right about it,'" she said. "Everybody has a burden. Nobody would know mine is MS."

Hoelzel is doing what she can to educate the public about MS, and she is working to raise funds to finance research that will some day lead to a cure for the elusive illness.
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PERSEVERANCE=Real Heros: CEO Rick Baldini will not let MS stop him....:
"...While the severity of the symptoms varies from person to person, Baldini said he has managed to stay almost symptom-free for the past six years with a combination of medication, acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga. He learned of the diagnosis in 2000, and at first experienced some numbness, tingling in his limbs and some loss of balance.

Baldini said yoga has been critical in regaining his balance, strength and agility and also credits a strong will and desire to overcome adversity in meeting the challenge of living with MS.

'A positive attitude,' Baldini said, 'there's no way to scientifically prove it, but I think it definitely helps.....'"

PERSEVERANCE=Real Heros: Shirley Armstrong overcomes MS to win blue ribbon
Shirley Armstrong of Rancho Bernardo shows off her winning watercolor, ‘Leo,’ which helped earn her a best of show honor at this year’s San Diego County Fair....

Shirley Patrick Anderson has multiple sclerosis, a neurological disorder that changed her life, put her in a wheelchair and almost robbed her of a cherished pastime — creating animals in watercolors.
Like others with MS, Anderson found a way to cope with the symptoms and move past them. After she lost the feeling in her right hand and arm, it looked like her ambition to become a better watercolorist was doomed.

But, she worked diligently to retrain herself to be a left-handed artist.

It was fairly frustrating to make that transition, but she eventually got the hang of it and now produces stunning, blue-ribbon art.

Winning “best in show” in the student division at the San Diego County Fair this year is turning out to be a personal testament to the ultimate goal of not giving up and moving past obstacles, Anderson said.
Her entry, a regal lion — resplendent in golden colors, some orange and browns — is aptly named “Leo,” a contribution her husband, Andy, helped provide.

The fair’s judges had no idea that Anderson is confined to a wheelchair with MS, said her art teacher Jenny Leeg. And that’s the way it should be: judge the art, not the artist.

“She didn’t win because she has MS,” Leeg said. “Her art was selected because it speaks for itself — and her ability.”

Art allows Anderson to release something of her inner self and show others her abilities, while she stretches beyond her physical limitations, Leeg said.

If nothing else, Anderson’s outgoing, positive personality is demonstrated in her brush strokes.

Leeg has observed the effect that Anderson has on her fellow art students during classes, which are hosted by Palomar College at Joslyn Senior Center in Rancho Bernardo.

“She’s inspirational to all of us,” Leeg said. “She’s always smiling and never seems to have a bad day.”

Leeg has been teaching that particular class for six years, five of which Anderson has been a student.

The camaraderie that has developed during class time, has expanded outside the center with students meeting for lunch and other social activities.

At least four students have become close friends with Anderson, sometimes volunteering to meet at her home to massage her legs so muscles will get the workout they need, she said.

PERSEVERANCE=A Real Hero: Lauren Zaccaro...working on a NASA project:
"To look at her, you would never guess she has been drafted into a fierce battle for which no one would volunteer - a battle where health, well being and independence are at stake. Young, attractive, fit and a successful engineer, Lauren Zaccaro hardly fits the typical description of a woman living with chronic illness. The five-foot, seven-inch blonde looks more like a competitive athlete than someone battling daily the potentially debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Two years ago, while still enrolled at the University of Hartford, Zaccaro, now a systems engineer with Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems, began experiencing difficulties with her vision. In the midst of finals she noticed an annoying spot in her right eye.

"I thought something had gotten on my contact," said the Ledyard, Conn. native who now lives in Colchester, Conn. "I went back to my dorm room, removed my contacts only to discover the blur spot was still there."

Zaccaro scheduled an appointment with her optometrist, who upon examination referred her to a neurologist. A series of tests, including a painful spinal tap, confirmed she had multiple sclerosis.

"Although initially I was somewhat shocked at the diagnosis, I'm thankful that I'm not facing something even worse," said Zaccaro, who is currently working on a NASA project to remove water and carbon dioxide from the air while maintaining proper cabin pressure and temperature for astronauts in space on a future space vehicle. "I feel fortunate. The effects of multiple sclerosis aren't keeping me from pursuing my dreams or keeping me from enjoying my favorite activities."

Despite symptoms that include ongoing vision problems, occasional leg and arm pain and some numbness and tingling in her extremities, Zaccaro, determined to fight back, signed up in the summer of 2005 to cycle in the National MS Society, Greater Connecticut Chapter Mohegan Sun MS Bike Tour - a two-day tour winding through southeastern Connecticut's breathtaking shoreline and blossom-covered countryside.

Zaccaro, who could have chosen to cycle as few as 50 miles over two days, successfully completed a 150-mile route. If that wasn't enough of a feat, particularly for someone warring with the unpredictable effects of multiple sclerosis, Zaccaro went on to raise an amazing $10,000, making her the event's top fundraiser.

"Lauren inspires me and many others with the courage she possesses in the face of adversity and her understanding that even she alone can make a significant difference in the fight against multiple sclerosis," said Amanda Saccuzzo, development coordinator and event coordinator. "Lauren's willingness to step out and speak up and her fundraising efforts are going far to help bring us close to finding a cause and a cure for what has proven to be a formidable foe - multiple sclerosis. Her confidence and optimism is contagious.""MORE