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FOUR Individuals Receive Grants to Help MS Community
Betaseron® Champions of Courage Program Supports Inspiring Initiatives
Washington, DC, March 28, 2002 – The Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of Courage program recently awarded grants to four individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to help them achieve their goals of inspiring more people with this disease. The recipients include Phil Martin of Macon, GA; Ramon Sepulveda of Austin, TX; Sean Clifford of Vail, CO; and Patricia Miller of Tijeras, NM.
“These are remarkable people who are able to see beyond their own limitations to find opportunities to motivate others with MS,” commented Betaseron® Champions of Courage Chairman Eric Simons. “In addition to courageously battling their disease, these individuals are embarking on projects that will help increase understanding about MS and encourage and give confidence to others.”
Phil Martin: Recreation for All
For as long as Phil Martin, 44, of Macon, GA can remember, he has always wanted to help people with disabilities, and so after college entered the field of adaptive recreation. Alongside his paid day job, he continued to pursue another passion – aquatic therapeutic recreation and founded the first adaptive water skiing program in the nation. Then along came MS in 1994 which forced some changes. Rather than give up on his love of water sports altogether, he shifted his focus to a less physically demanding sport: sailing, and since 1999 has been training sailors for the Special Olympics.
Martin’s Betaseron® Champions of Courage grant will help him to purchase a 27-foot Stiletto catamaran that is ideal for instructing people with disabilities because of its flat and steady design. The boat will enable large groups to experience sailing, including people from his MS chapter, as well as other disabled community members. He adds that he plans to race the boat throughout the year to promote MS wellness and to show that, “having MS does not mean being uninvolved in life.”
Ramon Sepulveda and Sean Clifford: Climbing Mountains for MS
Ramon Sepulveda, 48, of Austin, TX and Sean Clifford, 37, of Vail, CO will be part of a mountaineering team to climb North America’s tallest mountain: Mt. Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, standing at 20,320 feet. The team is comprised of seven people with MS. Together they will be the first group of people with a serious, chronic disease to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains independent of able-bodied guides or climbing companions. Their mission, in part is to motivate people with MS to seek therapy for their condition. The expedition is being led by Betaseron® Champions of Courage Board Chairman, Eric Simons and will begin in mid-May 2002. Their Betaseron® Champions of Courage grants will cover part of their gear and training expenses.
Both men have been preparing for the upcoming trip where they will face harsh winds of 100 miles per hour, temperatures as low as 10 to 40 degrees below zero and dangerous ice crevasses. Clifford lives and works in Vail, CO, where he says, “exercise is a way of life.” He makes frequent climbs in the Rocky Mountains and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with Eric Simons in October 2001. Training in the mountains on a regular basis is harder for Sepulveda who lives in Texas, so instead, he runs with 50-pound sacks of birdseed on his back.
Patricia Miller: Sharing Yoga with her Community
Yoga has been instrumental in helping Patricia Miller, 57, from Tijeras, NM maintain her flexibility and learn to relax and reduce stress. While she was enjoying the benefits of her yoga practice she was painfully aware that many of her MS friends could not afford the cost of yoga classes and were missing out on the many benefits. So she applied for and received a Betaseron® Champions of Courage grant to support a community yoga program. Miller’s yoga instructor will offer classes at a reduced rate and her fees will be covered by Miller’s Betaseron® Champions of Courage grant. Miller plans to seek alternate funding through local corporations once the grant is finished.
Funded by a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., the Betaseron® Champions of Courage program recognizes the accomplishments of people with MS and provides grants to support their inspirational activities. Since the program was introduced in 1999, more than 25 women and men have received grants to underwrite motivating projects. To apply for a grant, individuals must be taking the MS medication Betaseron®, describe their community service activities, and outline how they will use a grant to inspire others. 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 twice a 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 available that can impact underlying disease course as well as 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.
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Contact: |
Liz Garman Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM Telephone: 202/363-3378 E-Mail: info@championsofcourage.org |
