Columbia, SC Woman With MS Receives Champions of CourageSM Grant To Hold Benefit Concerts
Washington, DC, February 20, 2001 – Molly Wood, a 45-year-old Columbia, SC resident who has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 25 years, recently received a Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM grant to organize two choral concerts to benefit MS research.
The Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM program recognizes the accomplishments of people with MS and provides grants to help them achieve their goals and inspire others. Since the program was introduced in 1999, more than 20 women and men have received grants to underwrite motivating projects.
Center Stage
Molly's Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM grant will help to underwrite two benefit concerts by the Arpad Darazs Singers, a prestigious Columbia, SC choir of which she has been a member for 12 years. The group will perform The Requiem by contemporary composer John Rutter with proceeds benefiting the National MS Society. The concerts take place June 8 and 9 at the SC State Museum and the Dreher High School in Columbia.
Diagnosed with MS in college, Molly has had to overcome numerous physical challenges. She can no longer stand during choral performances and has difficulty reading music and words at the same time. To learn the music, Molly sings on “la” until she memorizes her voice part and then adds the words. Molly says that while it takes her longer to learn the music, it's worth it to be able to continue singing with the sopranos.
“Even though I need to sit down during our performances, the choir still wants me for my voice and my positive attitude,” says Molly. “There is a chair sitting center-stage for me at concerts. I would not let MS keep me from something I dearly loved.”
“Molly sets a positive example for both able-bodied and disabled individuals alike by not letting MS prevent her from doing what she loves: singing in the choir,” said Eric Simons, motivational speaker with MS and chairman of the Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM program. “Her courage and determination are inspiring. Now she is sharing her gift of music with others in the MS community to help find a cure for this disease.”
About the Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM Program
Funded by a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM program provides grants to people who are coping successfully with MS and who have a project that will motivate others. To apply for a grant, individuals must be taking Betaseron®, describe their community service activities and outline their plan for a grant. Applications can be obtained by visiting www.championsofcourage.org, or by calling 1-202-363-3378. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are reviewed three times per year.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord, wearing away control over the body. Symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis and blindness. Though no cure yet exists, there are now therapies that can impact underlying disease course and manage symptoms. MS affects more than a third of a million people in the U.S. alone, with someone being newly diagnosed virtually each hour.
