Help support Multiple

In 2008, the Illinois Lottery launched a specialty ticket benefiting the Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Funds raised from Illinois Lottery specialty tickets are distributed through grants awarded to numerous organizations working in a specific area, such as veterans programs or breast cancer research, but the Illinois Lottery specialty ticket in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is different. Working in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, 100 percent of profits are allocated to the MS Research Fund, which is devoted to supporting medical research dedicated to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS) and improving the lives of those living with the disease. To date, the specialty ticket has raised over $13 million dollars.

The Instant Ticket costs two dollars and is available at more than 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers statewide. With its fun design and this year’s “It Takes 2” game, in which players can win up to ten times for prizes up to $20,000, the Illinois Lottery specialty ticket in support of the Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society makes a great gi for anyone 18 and over. Visit the Illinois Lottery website for more information about this specialty ticket and others, and read on to learn more about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system in which the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers known as myelin, disrupting proper communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The symptoms and severity of MS can vary greatly from person to person. In contrast, some people live mostly symptom-free lives, while others may experience any number of short- or long-term complications, such as vision loss, pain, mobility issues, muscle weakness, vertigo, or changes in mood. There is no known cause of MS, and while it’s more common among those assigned female at birth, it can affect people of any gender, race, or ethnicity.

“MS doesn’t discriminate,” says Nancy McInroy, President of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Illinois Market. “It affects people all over the place.”

An estimated 1 million people in the United States currently live with multiple sclerosis, including 22,000 people in Illinois. Despite those high numbers, the individualistic way MS presents in patients and a lack of awareness and understanding of the disease in the medical profession and beyond means that some people experience symptoms for years before receiving a proper diagnosis. That makes research surrounding the disease—the vast majority funded by NMSS, o en in partnership with educational institutes, the pharmaceutical industry, and programs like the Illinois Lottery specialty ticket—all the more crucial.

Nicole White, community engagement manager for the NMSS Greater Illinois Chapter, was working as an elementary school principal when she suffered a mild stroke in February 2019 at the age of 42. At the hospital, the neurologist on duty began to connect the dots between her stroke and her medical history of seemingly unrelated ailments.

“[The neurologist] was asking questions that I didn’t realize connected to the reason why I was in the hospital at that particular time,” she says. “Through that long, detailed conversation, we were able to put my medical story together.”

As the reality of her diagnosis set in, she began to experience a sense of grief and depression. “I knew, loosely, one person from

This sponsored content is paid for by Illinois Lottery the Black community that suffered from MS, and she ended up losing her life,” she says. “That was my only reference. . . . I wasn’t in the place to understand how I could still live a productive life. I thought that I would be wheelchair-bound. I thought that I would lose all of the skills that I had worked with for so long and were a part of me, and I thought I was losing my identity.”

About six months a er her diagnosis, White was hospitalized again and temporarily lost her ability to walk. “I had to go to rehab for weeks. I was off of work for about four months. I went to occupational therapy, and speech therapy to help with executive functioning. I went to physical therapy, of course, mental therapy. Through all of that, I was able to understand what MS was going to bring into my life and how I had to just do things a little bit differently in order to navigate the world like abled people are able to do. I’m now in a much better place, but that first year was extremely rough.”

At a friend’s urging, White connected with NMSS through the society’s MS Navigator phone line. “It was just a really refreshing moment for me to get it all out and express my frustrations and just be as authentically as upset as I was when I was pretending not to be, but I definitely was,” she says. Within 48 hours, her email inbox was full of resources, and she began to connect with the MS community.

As a community engagement manager, White works to grow that community across Illinois, from urban centers to rural regions, while raising awareness, educating the public, and breaking stereotypes about the disease. For example, she says the long-standing misconception that MS predominantly impacts white people has led to delayed diagnoses and medical support in communities of color. “When you become aware, then you can educate, then you can empower,” she says. “And that’s what we want to do: We want to make sure people feel their power and their advocacy so that minority communities can start receiving the support that they are due.”

McInroy says that recent years have seen incredible advancements in the treatment and management of MS. “Even 20 years ago, there were very few treatments available for MS. Neurologists really weren’t sure what to do,” she says. “We rely a lot on physical therapy to get people moving and help people with their symptoms, but now there are over 22 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which are essentially drugs that can help somebody living with MS to manage their symptoms better to slow down its progression, to perhaps help in a physical capacity, perhaps to help with any cognitive impairments or visual impairments.”

Dr. Laura Rice, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign is a past recipient of an NMSS grant funded by the Illinois Lottery. Her research focuses on preventing and managing falls among individuals who use wheelchairs and scooters. “Falls are very common among individuals living with multiple sclerosis who use wheelchairs and scooters,” she says. “Our previous research has found that about 75 percent of that population will experience at least one fall in a six-month period of time.”

While Rice’s research shows that circumstances surrounding falls between people who walk and people who use wheelchairs can be very different, she says that the bulk of fall prevention programs center on people who walk. “A lot of falls among [people who use wheelchairs] occur when they are transferring from their wheelchair to another surface, for example. . . . So it’s really important that we have education for people who use wheelchairs and scooters that are specific to their needs.”

Over the past decade, Rice and her team have made significant headway in understanding the prevalence and frequency of falls among this population. Funding from the Illinois Lottery program has enabled them to develop a six-week intervention program to help people manage and prevent falls. In response to the COVID pandemic, they adapted the program to a hybrid online model that mixes pre-recorded videos and in-person small group discussions with a physical therapist, with an at-home exercise program and journaling assignments. The next step, pending additional funding, Rice says, is to build an app to bring the program to even more people living with MS.

“We know we’ve got a long way to go to find a cure for MS— which is our ultimate goal—so that’s what we’re working on daily,” McInroy says. Until that day comes, she encourages folks to visit NMSS online to learn more about their work and consider buying a specialty lottery ticket. “I really do encourage folks to participate if they’re able to. Maybe you can win some money for yourself, but you can also really change the life of somebody living with MS. It’s hugely important.”

“Whatever it is that is part of your MS journey, the society has connections and ways to support and help you through that,” White says. “And that’s the beauty around having something like the [Illinois] Lottery offering support for special initiatives—it helps provide a lifeline.”

For more about the Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, visit https://www.nationalmssociety.org/ Chapters/ILD