Dear Editor:
Every day my life and the lives of countless others on the North Shore are impacted by multiple sclerosis.
Canada has the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis in the world. In British Columbia there are 12,000 people and their families who are affected by MS. It is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system comprising the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.
Many of us who are living with MS don’t have the option of benefiting from new MS treatments, which could slow down the progression of our disease, due to a lack of government-funded drug coverage. As our MS progresses, our independence is lost. Without sufficient home care options, we’re forced to leave our homes for non-age-appropriate long-term care facilities. We’re faced with physical challenges every day because buildings don’t have adequate wheelchair entrances or accessible washrooms.
To bring these issues to the forefront, the MS Society in B.C., is urging the government of B.C. to take action in 2017 for people with MS in four key areas:
- age-appropriate home and community care for people with MS of all ages;
- increases to the Persons with Disabilities payment, indexing the increase to inflation;
- access to therapies by adding new and better Canada-approved MS medications like Lemtrada to the B.C. Pharmacare formulary, and
- the enactment of a disability act to ensure accessibility is made standard in B.C.
Our next government has the power to improve the quality of lives of people with MS by increasing access to treatments, investing in comprehensive home care and enhancing access through accessibility.
Change has started, but more needs to be done. I want to make sure the government is aware of the critical gaps that still remain for people with MS.
I encourage those in our community whose lives have been touched by MS to join me and learn more by clicking get involved at mssociety.ca and/or sending a letter, highlighting these priorities, to their riding candidates at msactionbc.ca.
Marilyn Lenzen
North Vancouver
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
