MSHH Newsletters

The MS Help Informer JULY 2010

Mission Statement: “To create and provide services & resources that

will enhance the quality of life for people with Multiple Sclerosis.”

MS Helping Hands-MSHH is a non-profit, stand alone 501 (c) (3) corporation, licensed and registered in Washington State. MSHH is neither part of, nor affiliated with another local or national Multiple Sclerosis organization, and has been providing services and resources to people with Multiple Sclerosis residing in Washington State since 1999. MSHH believes in stopping the bleeding and then treating the wound! MSHH reaches out to people with Multiple Sclerosis, their families and friends.

This is a very difficult article for me to write! As many of you know, Roger Oliver passed away Saturday, June 12, 2010 at about 1:00 a.m. He had open-heart surgery on Friday, June 4, 2010 at Swedish/Providence Hospital – Cherry Hill. The procedure to replace his 14-year-old artificial valve was more difficult than expected.

For over 10 years Roger Oliver was literally the face of the MSHH Donor Closet. No matter where one looks you will see Roger’s creativity & efforts that made the Donor Closet the success it has become. Roger joined forces with me in late 1999. All it took was for him to see the look and the smile on the face of a woman we delivered a free scooter to in South Everett, and he was hooked. She was no longer confined to her small apartment. She had tears in her eyes when we left. From that point on he did the pickups and deliveries of DME & ME equipment as the calls came in using his own van. What started out as “I will call you when I need you,” ended up with him spending most of his Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays at the Hwy. 99 Donor Closet site. When the Donor Closet relocated to its present location in downtown Edmonds and changed its hours to Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Roger was there to open and close the Donor Closet almost every day.

His handy work is visible everywhere, from the installation of the main entrance automatic door, rewiring of the building, installation of new lighting fixtures, and, more recently, the building and installation of power units to connect the power chairs and scooters to, making it easier to keep them charged. Roger never asked, he just automatically did it. If he saw something that everyone would benefit by, it was taken care of. He was very innovative. He was an exceptionally clever person.

Roger will long be remembered as the “Music Man” leading the Donor Closet Scooter Drill Team in the City of Edmonds 4^th of July Parades as spectators clapped their hands to the strains of favorite patriotic songs emanating from the sound system mounted on his scooter. The crowd cheered him every year and he loved it. He led the team to 4 trophies.

Roger was the best trivia person I ever knew and I loved to listen to his stories and marvel at his knowledge about so many things. Just his trivia knowledge about Edmonds, Seattle and the other stories he told about the State of Washington would fill a book. He had a wealth of information to share.

Never a day went by that Roger wasn’t seen doing the crossword puzzles in the local newspapers. He was a fanatic crossword puzzler and had a fantastic vocabulary.

Roger knew just about every restaurant in the area as well as many others all over the country including Hawaii. He loved to eat.

He knew all about airplanes, having worked 40 years for Boeing. He attended symphonies and operas with wife Carol Hahn.

Roger and Carol were living proof that just because one has physical challenges, life isn’t over. They traveled everywhere taking their scooters with them. If the area wasn’t user friendly, they let the powers that be know about it until something was done to correct the situation. Both of them were strong advocates for physically challenged people.

You always knew where Roger was coming from as he never held back his true feelings. Sometimes he was stubborn, ornery, and argumentative, but he was always sweet to

the ladies. That was the Roger we all loved! V Roger left his mark wherever he went, and the world he lived in will long remember him. I know I will! Roger would have been 77 on June 18, 2010.

The Donor Closet (DC) is in need of volunteers to assist people who come in to get items of durable medical equipment (DME) & mobility equipment (ME).

The DC is open 6 days a week (Monday thru Saturday) from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We ask that a volunteer be available for a full 5-hour shift at least one day a week, or more if possible.

The dress code is anything comfortable such as jeans. MSHH logo T-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts and jackets are provided. Because the volunteer will be on his/her feet and walking/standing on a concrete floor, comfortable shoes are recommended.

Volunteers assist the patrons in finding the items they need and do the paperwork required, including handling the money donations received for the items.

The most difficult part of the job is knowing about, and being able to demonstrate the different scooters and power chairs. Training is provided by the Donor Closet staff and/or a service technician.

There is a refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, TV, and computer for everyone’s use. There is a great deli upstairs in Petosa’s.

Volunteering at the Donor Closet can be a rewarding experience when you see the smiles and hear the comments from happy patrons who appreciate the resource being provided. There is NO other resource like the MSHH Donor Closet in the country.

If you are interested in being a Donor Closet volunteer, please contact Bill Brayer, (425) 712-1804.

Well many of you asked for it, so here goes. Starting Wednesday, September 15, 2010, there will be an afternoon support group meeting from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This will replace the weekly Wednesday afternoon social on those particular Wednesdays only. The meeting will be in the same Aldersgate room of the Edmonds United Methodist Church where the regular Tuesday evening monthly meetings are held.

We will begin with sharing meetings and line up speakers and programs as we go along. We will try to have a speaker at each meeting as often as possible and try to post the subject as well as the speaker’s name in the monthly newsletters. Watch for more meeting information in the August newsletter.

We hope this new agenda will get more of you out who are unable to attend evening meetings. But, you are invited to attend both meetings if you want to.

Bill Brayer will facilitate these meetings until a full time facilitator can be found

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, AND AM STILL DOING IT! No one ever asked for an illness or disability. One day things are fine and the next day your whole world is turned upside down. So many illnesses, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), change virtually everything. Since MS is a debilitating disease with so many symptoms, no known cause or a cure, people with MS are constantly undergoing changes in the way they live.

MS is considered to be one, if not the most serious neurological disease there is. You wake up one morning and ask yourself “What’s the matter with me?” or something similar. Thus begins the process of learning to cope with the new life you are about to undertake.

There is a growing need for support group meetings for married couples or couples in a relationship where one of the partners has MS.

There are many issues to be addressed and hopefully we can discuss these issues at future support group meetings.

I am not a professional, just a married person with MS who knows what couples face when coping with the disease. I have shared many of my own personal experiences with other couples and have been told that it has helped them deal with various situations they are currently struggling with, as well as giving them some insight about what they will probably experience in the future.

It has been reported that 50% of all marriages where one of the partners has MS will end in a divorce, and 80% of women with MS are divorced.

These will be fun meetings and a chance to find out how other couples deal with having MS in their lives. I see and hear it all the time so I know there is a definite need for these meetings.

Many people with MS have enough difficulty just coping with the symptoms of their disease. Add to that the pressures of dealing with a partner, children, parents and/or well-meaning friends who want to "help" but don't really know how, and you have major stress, with a capital "S." Couples must first learn to adjust and cope amongst themselves before they can help educate their children or extended family members about life with MS and the type of support that is needed to see it through. Since most symptoms of MS are not visible to the naked eye, people have trouble realizing what a person with MS is coping with. Unless they walk in our shoes, they don’t have a clue.

You may be reluctant at first to share your personal feelings and experiences, but once you do you will not be sorry. I know, because many years ago I did and it has sure helped my marriage and family life. No one ever said that “Life would be easy!” But, we're not alone!!

So, all you married couples and others with MS who are in a relationship, think about it over the summer months, and join us in September when we start meeting again. There is no age barrier so any couple can attend.