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Patricia Miller
Tijeras, NM
Patricia, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997, used her first Betaseron® Champions of Courage grant to organize a community yoga class for people with this disease who were not able to afford class fees. The grant covered the cost of weekly classes for six months. A second grant, awarded to Patricia in October 2002, extends the classes for another seven months.
Patricia has studied yoga for several years and credits it with helping her to stay limber, active and calm in spite of the anxiety of MS. But while she was reaping the benefits of yoga, she also became aware that others with MS in her community were unable to do the same because of the cost. This inequity disturbed her, so Miller did something about it. She contacted a local yoga instructor trained in teaching people with MS who agreed to offer classes at a reduced rate. Then she applied for and received a grant from the Betaseron® Champions of Courage program to cover the cost of classes.
“It was so neat to see 12 people in the room for the first class,” recalls Miller. “There were three walkers, five wheelchairs, one cane – we all used what we needed to get there.”
Miller was diagnosed at age 53 – older than most people with the disease. The toughest part of her diagnosis was having to leave her job as a vice president of an insurance agency. Work exacerbated her symptoms including fatigue and cognitive difficulties. Among other problems, she had a hard time remembering words and could no longer perform more than one task at a time.
MS Can’t Keep Her Down
One of the ways Miller copes with her disease is to remain physically active and to adapt activities to her limitations. Miller loves the outdoors and before MS enjoyed competitive volleyball, jogging, aerobics, and cross-country skiing. Today, she is just as active, but does it differently: for example, skiing is now done the adaptive way, where she traverses the hill in a sled aided by an able-bodied skier with tethers. Housework is done sitting down. Because she can’t stand or walk much distance unaided, Miller says she uses “every device known to man – cane, walker, scooter. With my tools, I can do what ever I want. I am not in a wheelchair – I use a wheelchair to do what I want to do!” she declares.
- Updated 1/2/03
