Mary Tibbetts Speaks

Sponsor Spotlight – Patrick Callaghan Coaching 🌟

We are thrilled to welcome Patrick Callaghan Coaching as an official Empowerment Sponsor of the “An Evening for MS” gala, supporting your MS Nation Community Foundation.

Based in Edmonton, Patrick Callaghan Coaching helps individuals unlock what’s holding them back and step into a life they absolutely love. From discovering unseen barriers to creating real momentum, Patrick combines transformational coaching with inspiring keynotes and interactive workshops to help people go further and let it be easier.

Why this partnership matters:

• Patrick’s focus on empowerment and breaking through obstacles aligns beautifully with our mission of supporting people living with MS and highlighting their strength and resilience.

• As an Empowerment Sponsor, Patrick is helping make this gala—and the opportunities it funds—possible for our community.

• We’re proud to have a local leader in transformation and change as part of our team, showing – through action and presence – that progress, possibility and hope go hand in hand.

Please join us in thanking Patrick Callaghan Coaching for their generous support and commitment to our cause. Stay tuned for more about the gala and the difference this sponsorship will help make!

📅 Save the date: April 17, 2026
📍 Location: Edmonton Expo Centre

In today’s episode of Living Real Life with MS, I sit down with the incredible Ashley Graves to talk honestly about what life with Multiple Sclerosis looks like in 2025 the real, messy, empowered, day-to-day version.

We dive into how MS has changed over the years, the treatment options available now, and why it’s so important to choose the path that works best for you. What helps one person may not help another and that’s okay. MS is not one-size-fits-all, and neither is the way we take care of ourselves.

Ashley shares her lived experience, her perspective on navigating symptoms and support, and the freedom that comes from owning your own MS journey. This is a real conversation between two people living it no fluff, no pretending.

If you’re looking for community, support, and honest conversations about MS, you’re in the right place. MS Nation Community Foundation
We are a grassroots nonprofit based in Alberta focused on real-life support for people living with MS.

Our programs include:
MS Coffee Connection – monthly meetups for connection, conversation, and community
Self-care & wellness education
Support for caregivers and families
Advocacy, resources, and community events

Connect With Us

MS Nation Community Foundation:

Instagram:

Email: [email protected]

Living Real Life With MS In today’s episode of Living Real Life with MS, I sit down with the incredible Ashley Graves to talk honestly about what life with Multiple Sclerosis looks l...

An Evening for MS — April 17, 2026

I’m so excited to share that tickets for our inaugural MS Nation Community Foundation Gala are now on sale!

We would love to have everyone come out for an unforgettable evening of community, connection, and impact.

A huge thank you to the for generously sponsoring this event your support means the world to us.

We still have table sponsorships available and are currently seeking event sponsors who want to help make a real difference in the lives of people living with MS.

We’re also gathering items for our silent auction, so if you or your business would like to contribute, please reach out! Every donation helps us build stronger programs and support for the MS community.

✨ Save the date — April 17, 2026 ✨
📍 Edmonton Expo Centre
💌 For sponsor or auction info: message me directly!

Alberta and MS — What You Should Know

Did you know that Alberta consistently ranks at the top of global rates for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

Canada already has the highest national rate of MS in the world, and Alberta is one of the most affected provinces with about 1 in every 300 people living with the disease.

That’s roughly 340 Albertans out of every 100,000 an incredible number when you think about how many families, workplaces, and communities are touched by MS right here at home.

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49, often while balancing careers, parenting, and building their futures. Women are affected about three times more often than men, and symptoms can vary from mild fatigue to major mobility challenges.

MS is unpredictable, lifelong, and still without a cure but awareness and community support can make all the difference. 💛

Let’s keep learning, talking, and showing compassion for the thousands of Albertans living with MS every single day.

Mental Health and MS: The Hidden Battle 🌻

Living with Multiple Sclerosis isn’t just a physical journey — it’s an emotional one too.
In Canada, studies show that up to 50% of people living with MS will experience depression, and anxiety is nearly twice as common as in the general population.

When you’re navigating symptoms, appointments, fatigue, and uncertainty, the emotional weight can be just as heavy as the physical one.
And yet… mental-health care is often out of reach for so many MS warriors and their caregivers.

That’s why our first official MS Nation Community Foundation program is focused on mental-health support.
We’re working to raise funds so we can help share the cost of counselling for people living with MS — and their caregivers — right here in Edmonton.

Because no one should have to face this journey alone. 💙

If you’d like to help us bring this program to life — through sponsorship, donations, or collaboration — we’d love to hear from you.
Together, we can make mental-health care accessible for the people who need it most.

The Truth About Healing After a Diagnosis

When you’re first diagnosed with something like Multiple Sclerosis, the focus is often on the medical side, the tests, the treatments, the appointments. But what often gets overlooked is the mental health journey that comes next.

Learning to live with a chronic illness means rebuilding your life in every way from your routines, your identity, your sense of what’s possible. And that takes more than medication. It takes support, community, and real tools to thrive and not just survive.

When you’re first diagnosed with something like Multiple Sclerosis, the focus is often on the medical side, the tests, the treatments, the appointments. But what often gets overlooked is the mental and emotional recovery that comes next.

Learning to live with a chronic illness means rebuilding your life in every way your routines, your identity, your sense of what’s possible. And that takes more than medication. It takes support, understanding, and connection.

That’s why at MS Nation Community Foundation, we believe healing happens through community.
Through simple, meaningful programs — like our monthly Coffee Connections meetups — we create safe spaces for people to come together, share stories, and feel less alone.

We’re also working hard to secure funding to help cover counselling services and develop dedicated mental health programs for people diagnosed with MS and their caregivers. Because no one should have to face this journey without support.

When we invest in mental health and community care, we give people living with MS the chance to truly thrive not just survive.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the community, and the people who’ve stood beside me through it all. 🧡

Living with MS has taught me to celebrate the little victories, and to never take a single day good or bad for granted.

To everyone who sees this Your courage, your resilience, and your heart are something to be thankful for today and every day.

Wishing you warmth, gratitude, and joy with your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

You don’t have to move like everyone else — you just have to honor yourself.

Movement isn’t just physical — it’s emotional, mental, and deeply personal.

Some days, it’s a walk.

Other days, it’s a stretch, a deep breath, or simply showing up.

Every choice to move is a reminder that resilience lives here — in your pace, your presence, your power.

Keep moving, even if it looks different today. Because you inspire more than you know. ✨