"About 30 years ago I was playing my regular game of tennis, when I noticed something was not quite right with my eyesight and I seemed to stumble when going for shots, ordinarily, I’d made with ease. initially, I put this down to tiredness or just an off day. But the problems reappeared and persisted enough for me to seek medical help.

After several months and countless tests I was handed a devastating diagnosis - MS - and told to get on with my life. This news was delivered without me being offered any idea of how I might do this.

Finding anyone or anywhere I could get help to make sense of my MS proved almost impossible. This left me feeling fearful, depressed and dismayed. The little I had heard about MS was certainly not good. Severe disability and early death seemed like a real possibility.

Someone suggested I contact MS Hawkes Bay to see if they could help with information and practical steps to handle my condition. Talking to the MS Hawkes Bay Field Officer, I discovered I was was not alone and there were indeed steps I could take to ameliorate my condition. All was not lost. There was no cure but practical help was available.

Finally I had found a way forward; I could formulate a plan for how to approach my life to accommodate my MS. Things could not continue as they had but I could, by taking the right steps, ensure my quality of life was as good as it could possibly be. I altered my lifestyle and work to incorporate the restrictions MS had enforced upon me. With support from the MS Hawkes Bay, my partner and loyal friends, I was able to pick myself up and move forward with my life."

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"Knowing that MS Hawkes Bay is there with support when I need it, provides a valuable backstop. It is a positive support for people with MS, where if they did not exist, there would be none. Receiving an MS diagnosis is a traumatic experience for anyone who receives it. Discovering there are a group of people dedicated to help you cope, can help pull you out of the darkness and to move froward with your life. For this, Multiple Sclerosis awkes Bay deserves all of our support."

About Us

We need your donation to continue supporting those with Multiple Sclerosis in our community.

Multiple Sclerosis Hawkes Bay provides information, support and advice to people and their families and carers on living well with Multiple Sclerosis.

The society is passionate about visiting people in their homes, advising, advocating, and listening, ensuring those impacted by MS have all the information on the supports and services available to them in our region.

We provide regular peer support groups to encourage active participation in our community.