Out On A Limb for Multiple Sclerosis

ng Practical As Well As Outstanding Feats And To Raise Funding That Will Allow Others To Meet Their Basic Needs And Prosthetic Or Mobility Requirements. Bushy McKelvey who is the initiator of the “Out On A Limb” project is a bilateral below the knee amputee and has two prosthetic legs. He lost his legs in two separate accidents. His right leg after being struck by a taxi minibus while riding his bike in 1999. And if that was not bad enough! Then, nine years later, riding with one prosthetic leg, he was again hit by a car in Pietermaritzburg while on his way to a biker’s function. Many people by now would have hung the bike leathers up and stayed off the bike, but not Bushy! No Bushy has got back on the bike and it planning on one hell of a bike ride. Bushy started a charity organisation called, OUT ON A LIMB. His first feat was to raise awareness and funding for the charities he supports and gives other disabled people, motivation to get on with there lives. And embarked on a scooter trip around South Africa to meet with heads of state and other charities to see how they succeed or fail. There after a road trip from his home town Pietermaritzburg into Lesotho on a delivery motorcycle to the roof of Africa and back, Went around Southern Africa(South Africa ,Namibia and Botswana)on a documented motorcycle journey . His next challenge is to get the world record for the longest distance on a motorcycle by an individual in twenty four hours, which currently is 3249.9 KM. This is to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis Western Cape. WITH MS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL GO NEXT - Multiple Sclerosis sufferers live in a frightening reality where parts of the body can shut down without warning. Help the search for a cure, visit www.multiplesclerosis.co.za

The easiest way to understand what happens in MS is to think of your body as an electrical circuit, with your brain and spinal cord as the power source and your limbs and rest of your body as the lights, computers, TVs etc. Your nerves are the electric cables linking them all together and the myelin is the insulation around those cables. Now imagine that the insulation gets damaged. The result? Faulty or temperamental equipment and a possible short-circuit. Who gets MS? Approximately 85 000 people in the UK have MS - that’s about one in every 800 -1000 people (or one in 500 people in Scotland). It is estimated that about 5 000 people in South Africa have MS. The majority of people with MS are diagnosed
with the condition when they are aged between 20 and 40, though it can, of course, occur in older people and, more rarely, in children. It’s also almost twice as common in women as in men. Symptoms of MS
MS is unpredictable. Many MS symptoms, such as fatigue, are not visible
to other people. It can be frustrating to describe or explain what they feel
like and how they affect you. Some common symptoms are:
• Sensory (touch) problems such as numbness or tingling of the hands
and feet.
• Visual problems such as blurred or double vision, or a temporary loss of sight in one eye caused by optic
neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
• Fatigue - an overwhelming sense of tiredness making physical or mental activity difficult
• Muscle stiffness and spasms - tightening or rigidity in particular muscle groups (known as spasticity)
• Loss of muscle strength and dexterity
• Problems with walking, balance and co-ordination
• Cognitive problems (ie problems with memory and thinking) - such as forgetting
names
• Dizziness
• Pain
• Bladder and bowel problems
• Sexual problems
SOURCES OF SUPPORT
Multiple Sclerosis South Africa: MSSA is dedicated to supporting people with MS,
their families and careers. It is the main source of reliable information about MS. MS Helpline: The all hours helpline number is 021 948 4160 - offers information, counselling and support to anyone with MS, their families, friends and carers about MS and related issues (e.g. welfare benefits, employment, sexuality etc). All calls are treated in complete confidence. The helpline talks to hundreds of MS people every year. Publications and website: The MSSA can supply a wide range of information, for example, on types of MS, managing relapses, pregnancy and MS, and disease modifying drugs. There is also a website www.multiplesclerosis.co.za plus a hugely informative Closed Group page - you need invitation - contact [email protected] for information on how to join the page http://www.facebook.com/multiplesclerosisSA
Membership: Join MSSA to be a part of the MS community in SA and make the numbers significant in terms of government support in future; make contact with other people and keep up to date about MS through the branch magazines
sent to all members. MSSA also provides a voice for people affected by MS. MSSA amongst others do the following in support of its members:
1. Create MS awareness
2. Conduct workshops informing and empowering persons with MS, their family members and carers
3. Gather building blocks towards our big goal of establishing a care centre where persons with MS may be
assisted by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals (no such facility in the whole of South Africa!)
4. Establish communication and support channels where members stay far from city centres
5. Stay on top of the latest information and channel through to our members
6. Facilitate services i.e. social services and occupational therapy
7. Provide information on assistive devices and equipment needed to support persons with MS
8. Conduct training workshops for all people involved with MS
9. Deliver information and support through newsletters
10. All of the above need a well-oiled functioning office environment
11. Maintain open channels with international research projects
12. Assist members with medical aid issues
13. It is not always possible to express in a concrete way how funds are
utilised or exactly needed.