By Matt Wiley
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a tough disease for any family to live with, and can begin to affect a person at almost any age. For one New Tampa family, the disease is now part of every day life, leading one resident to organize an event to help spread awareness and raise money for the research of the central nervous system disorder.
Bob Bishop is 59 and used to be an active person, enjoying working around the family’s Hunter’s Green home and being outdoors. That all changed when he was diagnosed with MS in 2006. The signs weren’t clear at first, but Bob’s wife Bonnie says that the first warning sign appeared when Bob participated in a Wharton High ice hockey team event a couple of years ago. Always a strong ice skater while growing up in Massachusetts, Bob kept falling down on the ice during the Wharton “alumni game.” Something clearly was wrong, Bonnie says. After seeing a neurologist, it was determined that MS was the cause.
Now, Bob has a tough time getting around the family’s new, smaller house inside the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club community (located off S.R. 52), which they moved to when keeping up with the care of their two-story home became too difficult. Using a cane or a walker, mobility has become a constant struggle for Bob. But, it’s not his fault.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), more than 2.3 million people are affected by the disease worldwide. NMSS defines the disease as a chronic and unpredictable central nervous system (CNS) disorder, thought to be caused by the immune system attacking healthy CNS tissue.
The disease is known to cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, memory issues, paralysis and blindness. However, these symptoms are not always evident and their severity can vary with each affected person. NMSS reports that, although most are diagnosed between the ages of 20-50, cases of MS have been reported in patients between the ages of 2-75.
To help raise awareness and money for MS research through NMSS, Bonnie is helping organize an event at Spa Moritz (17401 Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms) on Saturday, September 20. The event will feature drinks and complimentary appetizers from the nearby Stonewood Grill & Tavern (also in Tampa Palms), as well as a silent auction, complimentary spa services and door prizes, all for a $15 donation to NMSS.
“Our goal is to raise money for the MS research that goes on every day,” Bonnie says. “There are clinical trials being done to stop the progression of this disease and even, hopefully, one day reverse its effects.”
To support this great cause, please RSVP by sending an email to Info@SpaMoritz.com or BFromBos@aol.com.
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