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Art Smithey of Hurst, TX Receives Decade of Achievement in MS Award
Honoree Makes Extraordinary Contributions to the MS Community
Washington, D.C., December 1, 2003 – The Betaseron® Champions of Courage SM program announces that Art Smithey is one of the top 15 winners of The Decade of Achievement in MS Award. Art and his fellow honorees were determined to have exhibited extraordinary dedication to the MS community within the last 10 years, and include people with MS, their friends and family, companies, and members of the MS medical community.
The award commemorates the 10th anniversary of the availability of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b), and is sponsored by the Betaseron Champions of Courage, a program that supports people with MS who have inspiring goals, and who have made significant contributions to their families, community, or the lives of those affected by MS.
“Art stood out for the way he has supported his wife Sandra throughout her more than 40-year battle with MS,” said Eric Simons, chairman of the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. “Art truly understands the essential role that loved ones play in helping people with MS manage their disease. Together, Art and Sandra are an unbeatable team!”
To Love, Honor and Cherish
A native of Texas and a retired chemist, Art was nominated for a Decade of Achievement in MS Award by his wife Sandra, who was diagnosed with MS in 1962. Art and Sandra have been married for 47 years and have two grown children.
When Sandra was diagnosed, very little was known about MS. Their doctor prepared Art for the worst – that his wife might someday be confined to a wheelchair. Art kept this information to himself because he didn’t want to worry Sandra. He remained a loyal and faithful husband and father.
“Art took upon himself two young children, a wife with MS, and didn’t bat an eye. He has been by my side and is willing to take whatever MS brings,” says Sandra. “He does all he can to help me in any way needed.”
Sandra is involved in the Internet support organization MSWorld and also speaks at support group meetings. She has balance problems and uses a cane inside the house and a scooter for longer distances. “Art really puts his heart and soul into all that I do, and his love really shows through these actions. He is there not only for me, but also for all with MS that he helps when he is at any given event.”
Art says the hardest part of living with someone with MS is figuring out how to allot his time so that he can help when it is needed, even when he is doing something else. The most rewarding aspect of being involved in the MS community, according to Art, is “getting to know people all over the world and seeing them with their zeal for life without complaints.”
Award Specifics
The Betaseron Champions of Courage received more than 160 nominations for the award. All nominees received an award certificate, as well as a Decade of Achievement in MS Award t-shirt and a letter of congratulations from the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. From these 160 nominations, 15 were chosen for an additional level of recognition.
The 15 top award winners received a plaque and a letter of congratulations from the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. They also will have their story featured on the www.championsofcourage.org web site, and in other materials.
About the Betaseron Champions of Courage
Funded by a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Betaseron Champions of Courage program provides grants to people who are coping successfully with MS and who have a project that will inspire others. Since the program was introduced in 1999, more than 30 individuals have received grants to underwrite motivating projects.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that randomly attacks 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, therapies are now available that affect the 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.
For more information about applying for a Betaseron Champions of Courage grant or the Decade of Achievement in MS Award visit www.championsofcourage.org.
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Contact: |
Sheila Marmion
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