Beth Cohen and Jon Ruby

Every day about 350 people world wide are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. What they have to look forward to is a life of slowly and painfully watching their bodies betray them a little more each day.

The victims of this disease are afflicted usually between the ages of 20 and 50 and are more often women than men. What this means is that among all the others suffering from MS, there are a disproportionately large number of mothers.

If you go to a website dedicated to this disease you read a lot of things presented as scientific fact, but surrounded by words like ‘may be caused by’ or ‘studies indicate but there is no definitive evidence’. The stark truth is that no one actually knows what causes this disease, or more importantly, how to fight it.

All of the above comes together to mean that for the 2.5 million people with the disease, and the 350 people who are diagnosed each day, it is hard to maintain hope.

Each year I remember my grandmother who lived with this disease for decades and try to support the Multiple Sclerosis Society. I support research in her memory but also so that the afflicted and their families can look forward with hope. Because more than anything else, that’s what this disease threatens to take away from those who suffer from it.
— Jon Ruby

The MS Society of Canada was also the charity of choice for Joel and Mary Rochon and Susan Bowman.

Joel and Mary Rochon

I have matched the dollars graciously given to me by the firm, and have made my annual donation to the MS Society of Canada. As many people, I am regularly conflicted by the number of charities and causes that I would like to be able to support. Without hesitation, though, every year I donate money to the MS Society of Canada.

I watched my brother-in-law, Wayne Bowman, live with MS, and ultimately watched him die from it. I saw first-hand the devastating path the disease takes and the toll it takes, not only on its victims but also on the families and caregivers.Wayne lived a remarkable life, despite, or perhaps because of, MS. He outlived doctor’s expectation by over 2 decades, earned 2 PhDs, volunteered with many organizations and was a cantankerous and opinionated debater with everyone within earshot. He was a real fighter.

In the eleven years since Wayne’s death, there have been quite a few scientific advances made both in understanding and treating MS. The MS Society directly supports both medical research and the needs of people living with MS. It is in Wayne’s memory that I make an annual donation to the MS Society.
— Susan Bowman