When diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004, Cathy Reichers, 46, soon found herself in a difficult position — she couldn’t see any results from two of the disease-modifying medications tried. Her condition rapidly worsened until she began Tysabri, the once-monthly infusion. Tysabri has been very successful. Reichers has increased her strength and made great strides just within the first six months of treatment. This sparked the interest of Biogen — Tysabri’s creators — who asked Reichers to become a patient advocate and share her MS story. “I make motivational speeches at Tysabri functions across the state of Wisconsin, where I now live,” she says. Tysabri is well-loved by many who benefit from it, but still carries a “black-box” warning from the FDA because it increases the risk of a potentially deadly virus that attacks the brain.

Having had a former career in sales, Reichers also started her own online MS store, The MS Shoppe. With the help of a marketing company and an attorney, she and her husband now sell MS-related assistive devices, clothing and novelty items. “I hired a company to teach me and I have 90 percent control over the company, except when I get stuck and they jump in and help me,” Reichers says.

Reichers identifies the source for her continual inspiration: her husband. She confesses that he has always been there for her during their 21-year marriage and now so more than ever. “My husband inspires me,” she says. “He is the only person who has completely been there for me in my life. He has been my rock and has kept me grounded and motivated.”

Visit Reichers’ MS store at www.themsshoppe.com.

Does MS Decrease Cancer Risk?
A recent Swedish study yielded an interesting statistic about people with MS: they have a noted lowered risk for developing various forms of cancer.

Over the course of 35 years, Dr. Shahran Bahmanyar of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute led a study tracking the records of roughly 20,000 Swedes with MS and 200,000 Swedes without MS. The result? Those with MS appear to have a 10 percent lower risk for a number of cancers, including pancreatic, ovarian, stomach, lung, prostate, and lymphatic. “We speculate that the lower risk for cancer among people with MS could be a result of lifestyle changes or treatment following diagnosis,” Dr. Bahmanyar says. The lowered risk was also slightly more pronounced in women with MS.

The Global Idea: A Community Blog for Travelers
Do you ever wonder where you can find helpful, practical tips for your vacation that pinpoint easily accessible transportation, tourist sites, and accommodations? And do you want to inform others about the great travel tips you’ve already learned? Well, some wise folks at the Global Idea (www.theglobalidea.com) came up with a fantastic idea: a travel Wikipedia for travelers with disabilities.

The Global Idea is set up with a main page that features travel destinations and instructions for contributing, a FAQ page, a help page, an online store, a travel blog written by the creators, a link to important websites, and an extensive destinations index which spans the entire globe.

Grapesurfer Winery Creates MS Fundraisers
Grapesurfer, a small winery in Virginia, allows customers to create personalized wines with special labels to use as fundraisers for various causes. The Central Virginia Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has already created such a fundraiser, and 100 percent of the online retail profits will go to the Society. Fundraisers can be created online at www.grapesurfer.com.

‘Life’ Moves On
This is the last installment of MS Life. In its place, look for a new cross-disability department that will include profiles of people with MS and MS information.