MS Education

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?
Who gets MS?
Can MS be cured?
What are Can Do MS's programs and how do they help?
Where is Can Do MS?
How is Can Do MS Funded?

WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

MS is a chronic, disabling disease with no known cause or cure.

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs or more severe, like paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease. The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system). The damaged myelin may form scar tissue (sclerosis). Sometimes the nerve fiber is also damaged. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses to and from the brain are distorted or interrupted.

MS is not fatal. Individuals have normal or near-normal life expectancies. Most people with MS learn to cope with the disease and live full, productive lives.

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WHO GETS MS?

One in 750 people, mostly women.

Multiple Sclerosis is the most prevalent neurological disease among young adults. 400,000 Americans have MS. Most diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and about two thirds are women. The disease is more frequently found among people who grew up in colder climates.

Studies indicate that genetic factors make certain individuals susceptible to the disease, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited.

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CAN MS BE CURED?

No, but until there is a cure, there is Can Do MS.

Advances in treating and understanding MS are encouraging, and several FDA-approved medications have been shown to modify or slow down the underlying course of MS. There is still no cure for MS, however, Can Do MS’ Programs are recognized worldwide as a valuable complement to regular medical treatment.

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WHAT ARE THE CAN DO MS PROGRAMS AND HOW DO THEY HELP?

Overview
Can Do MS, formerly The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis, is an innovative provider of lifestyle empowerment programs for people with MS and their support partners. A national nonprofit organization, we empower people to move beyond their MS by giving them the knowledge, skills, tools and confidence to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors, actively co-manage their disease and live their best lives.

Who do we serve?
The organization has helped thousands of people living with MS transform challenges into possibilities in health and life. In 2008, we provided programs and services to more than 10,000 people.

How were we started?
Can Do MS honors the legacy and beliefs of the organization’s founder, Jimmie Heuga, a pioneer in the MS care management field. Heuga embodies a positive, can do philosophy and perspective that complements the traditional
medical model and standard of care to address people’s mental, physical and emotional needs. Since 1984, we’ve been at the forefront of promoting the culture and belief that everyone living with MS has the power to live full lives.

What do we offer?
Our approach is rooted in a uniquely empowering whole person, whole health, whole community philosophy to maximizing health and living with MS. Can Do MS offers a range of individualized experiential learning formats, including multi-day workshops, weekend seminars, online resources and peer support programs. We compassionately equip individuals with the expanded knowledge, skills, awareness and confidence to become active co-managers of their health. We enhance and complement traditional models of care by focusing on the physical, interpersonal, emotional, intellectual and spiritual
aspects of living with MS.

The organization offers three principal programs:

CAN DO® Program—The flagship CAN DO program is an intensive educational program that teaches people with MS and their support partners how to take charge of their lives within the context of their MS. The five-day program goes well beyond traditional health and wellness programs by using a comprehensive spectrum of assessments, active-learning formats and goal setting to actively empower people with MS and their support partners to live their best lives.
Spouses, family members or friends are encouraged to attend the CAN DO program with a person with MS. Special sessions are devoted to this group of support partners, addressing their needs, goals, concerns and challenges.

CAN DO 2® Program—Because the symptoms of MS fluctuate over time, the two-day CAN DO 2 program gives the CAN DO program's participants a way to update and modify their personal program and provides renewed motivation for
maintaining health and wellness.

JUMPSTART® Program—JUMPSTART is a one-day introduction to Can Do MS’s wellness philosophy for people with MS and their support partners. Offered at no charge, JUMPSTART provides educational presentations, workshops and interactive sessions so participants can begin to see themselves beyond the challenges of their MS.

Who’s part of the Can Do MS network of professionals?
Can Do MS has a network of more than 100 health care professionals from around the U.S. and Canada, including exercise physiologists, nutritionists, neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, physicians, psychologists,
speech/language pathologists, registered nurses and other health care specialists. Our health care professionals are dedicated to teaching people with MS and their support partners how to take control of their lives and health by focusing on what they can do and live their best lives.

How do we collaborate?
We also work collaboratively with many MS care providers and organizations around the U.S. and Canada to provide our lifestyle empowerment programs where they’re most requested and needed. In 2009, Can Do MS formed a collaborative partnership with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to align resources and more effectively improve the quality of life of people with MS and their support partners. We are also members of the Consortium of MS Centers and MS Coalition. The MS Coalition is an affiliation of independent MS organizations dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life for all those affected by MS.

How have we been recognized?
Can Do MS earned four stars, the highest rating possible, for the second consecutive year from nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator for our ability to efficiently manage and grow our finances. We were in the top 18 percent of the 5,000 nonprofits evaluated by Charity Navigator in 2008. We’re members of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and have obtained certification from the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance.

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Where is Can Do MS?

Can Do MS is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices based in Edwards, Colorado. While we call Colorado home, we conduct programs across North America.

Here are ways Can Do MS touched lives in 2008 across North America.

• Provided programs and services for over 10,000 people
• 14 Health care professionals symposiums in eight states
• 12 One-day JUMPSTART Programs in four states
• 9 Patient seminars in five states
• 2 Five-day CAN DO Programs in two states
• 26 Fundraising events in the United States and Canada

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How is Can Do MS Funded?

Can Do MS is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization funded through individual contributions, corporate donations and grants, as well as special events such as
the Vertical Express for MS, Can Do MS Golf Tournament, Skate-A-Thon,
Winter Wine & Ski Expo, Alpen Wine Fest, New York Autumn Benefit, and others.

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