Back to News Index
Bloomfield, Connecticut Woman with MS Receives Champions of Courage Grant for Pottery Classes
WASHINGTON, DC, March 29, 2004 – Susan Giddings, 52, of Bloomfield, CT, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2001, recently received a Betaseron® Champions of CourageSM (BCC) grant to organize weekly pottery classes for community members with MS. The classes, which will be offered during two, five-week sessions, will begin Monday, May 3 at the Expressions Pottery Workshop in East Granby, CT.
The Betaseron® Champions of Courage 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 30 women and men have received grants to underwrite motivating projects.
Pottery is her passion
Giddings, who works full-time as an MIS manager for a Windsor, CT company that repairs and overhauls jet engines, has been a potter for 16 years – long before she was diagnosed with MS. Her diagnosis in 2001 upset her, she says, but she quickly realized that her life was not over, and resumed her normal activities. Giddings found that working with clay helped her to deal with the uncertainty of having MS.
“I think throwing pottery is magic,” says Giddings. “It gives you the ability to make something where there was nothing. I know it helps me get over the rough spots of having MS, and I think it can help others get through bad days. And it is so doable for just about everyone.”
Soon after her diagnosis, Giddings began talking with fellow instructors about organizing pottery workshops specifically for community members with MS. “Clay is a great medium for people with MS,” says Giddings. You don’t need your legs, you don’t even need two hands. We teach using an approach that doesn’t require a great deal of strength or coordination.”
Giddings’s Betaseron Champions of Courage grant will cover all costs associated with the upcoming classes. Classes will be offered free of charge and can accommodate up to eight people. Participants will receive class instruction from two highly qualified instructors, weekly practice time, and a pottery tool kit. There will also be a nurse available who can answer questions about the disease. Caregivers are welcome to attend and observe.
Giddings says while her MS symptoms are fairly mild, the disease has had an impact on her life. “MS has made me more determined to live a productive life,” says Giddings. She hopes her students’ accomplishments will inspire others with MS to try something new. She also wants to see this pottery program grow so it can help people with MS across the country.Champions of Courage
Funded by a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, 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. “Susan’s desire to share her craft is both admirable and inspiring,” said Eric Simons, motivational speaker with MS and chairman of the Betaseron® Champions of Courage program. “Now she will have the opportunity to teach people with MS in her community – and who knows – maybe her idea will catch on in other areas of the country!”
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.
For more information about applying for a Betaseron® Champions of Courage grant, visit www.championsofcourage.org, or call 202/363-3378.
For more information on the Betaseron Champions of Courage pottery classes, contact Susan Giddings directly at 860/242-1201.
###
Contact: |
Liz Garman Betaseron® Multiple Sclerosis Champions of CourageSM Telephone: 202/363-3378 E-Mail: info@championsofcourage.org |
