Multiple Sclerosis

The third annual Hope Springs Yard Sale is set for Friday at the Presbyterian Church at the Walnut Street entrance. Local volunteers have collected and organized nearly 3,000 items, including furniture and baby clothes donated by local families and name-brand clothing donated by Centre College students. Among the items in the sale are shelving units, microwave ovens, coffeemakers, computer equipment and children's toys. The sale will open at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and all proceeds will be used to assist local persons who have multiple sclerosis.

Hope Springs is a new organization in Danville and Boyle County that seeks to assist local persons who have multiple sclerosis. On May 28, the group will hold its first annual Hope Springs Yard Sale. Through an innovative agreement with Centre College, the sale will feature any items abandoned in the dorms by Centre students at the end of the year (furniture, rugs, stereos, etc.). Local citizens also are donating items to the sale. The Presbyterian Church in Danville has agreed to host the sale in its gym from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Hope Springs organization expects to have a wide range of home furnishings, kitchen items, books, tapes and collectibles.

Dear Editor: First, please let me thank you for publishing your article in Thursday's edition regarding community members' organization of a yard sale to benefit multiple sclerosis. As a young woman living with multiple sclerosis, I thank both this newspaper and the organizers for bringing attention to MS. This type of public support to the cause will help in finding a cure for this disease. However, I do want to emphasize that the article's headline, "Yard sale will benefit MS victims," is not the best possible way to describe those of us living with MS. The majority of us do not think of ourselves as victims, nor do we want others to view us as such.

For most people, dialing a phone or chopping a carrot is a simple task. But if your hands have been weakened by multiple sclerosis or arthritis, such tasks may seem impossible. However, help is available in the form of new technologies and devices that compensate for loss of strength and mobility. Area residents are welcome to learn more about such devices at Mobility Day set for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 23 at Centenary United Methodist Church's Christian Life Center on Perryville Road at the entrance to Millennium Park.

Forum planned on multiple sclerosis The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will present "What Do I Tell My Employer: Don't Ask, Don't Tell," by attorney Stephen Frockt from 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 9 via digital transmission at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, private dining room. Space is limited; make reservations by Oct. 3 by calling (800) 873-6367 or e-mail bisig@kyw.mnss.org. Baby expo set in Lincoln STANFORD - A baby expo is planned in Lincoln County for eligible women who are pregnant or have a child 3 years old. Women who attend any three classes listed below will be invited to a baby expo and shower that will have numerous free gifts such as strollers, car seats and clothing.

The events of Dec. 26, 2004, will forever be etched in the memory of Jamie Pittman. "I think Jeremiah 29:11 is so much more real to me in the fact that God, how it says, 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you ...,'" Pittman said. On that fateful day, Pittman and his family, missionaries in Thailand, were vacationing in the small coastal village of Phuket, when the tsunami struck. The Pittmans, who were at the tail end of their week-long vacation, usually headed for the beach after breakfast, but that morning they deviated from their normal plans.

Judith Wilson wrote the book on meeting life's challenges. Her novel, published last year, is called MS & Me; Four Decades with Multiple Sclerosis. Wilson, a long-time resident of Nicholasville who moved to Berea in 2003, is now bedridden. At age 57, she has battled the disease for more than 40 years. Though there is no cure for MS, she said she wrote about her experiences with MS, and how she dealt with them, in the hopes of helping others who are suffering with the ailment.

Hurst awarded 2007 Cross scholarship Katie Hurst from First Baptist Church in Paris, received the 2007 Dian Gill Cross $1,000 Scholarship at the Elkhorn Annual Meeting on July 16 at Pinckard Baptist Church. She is the daughter of Paul and Christy Hurst, and will enter Eastern Kentucky University in the fall to study nursing. The annual scholarship is in memory of Dian Gill who grew up in Nicholasville and graduated from Jessamine County High School. She was a member of the Nicholasville Baptist Church and president of the youth group, and taught NBC's Sunday School class for children with special needs.

Multiple sclerosis has, for the time being, taken from Maxine Graham the use of her legs. But the former Fleming County track and field standout, who makes no effort to hide the competitive spirit coursing inside her, plans to get them back. “Let me fight. Give me a half a chance to fight,” she said. “My heart is here, it's just my legs. That's the problem. " Graham was inducted into the Dawahares/Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame last weekend in Lexington.

Hope Springs, an organization in Danville and Boyle County that assists local residents who have multiple sclerosis, will hold its seventh annual Hope Springs Yard Sale from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in the Chowan Building at Centre College. As Centre students prepare to graduate and depart for the summer, they have belongings they’re looking to part with. The sale will feature those items, in addition to items donated from the local community. Organizers expect to have a wide range of items for sale, including home furnishings, kitchen items, books, rugs, stereos, and more.

Hurst awarded 2007 Cross scholarship Katie Hurst from First Baptist Church in Paris, received the 2007 Dian Gill Cross $1,000 Scholarship at the Elkhorn Annual Meeting on July 16 at Pinckard Baptist Church. She is the daughter of Paul and Christy Hurst, and will enter Eastern Kentucky University in the fall to study nursing. The annual scholarship is in memory of Dian Gill who grew up in Nicholasville and graduated from Jessamine County High School. She was a member of the Nicholasville Baptist Church and president of the youth group, and taught NBC's Sunday School class for children with special needs.

Judith Wilson wrote the book on meeting life's challenges. Her novel, published last year, is called MS & Me; Four Decades with Multiple Sclerosis. Wilson, a long-time resident of Nicholasville who moved to Berea in 2003, is now bedridden. At age 57, she has battled the disease for more than 40 years. Though there is no cure for MS, she said she wrote about her experiences with MS, and how she dealt with them, in the hopes of helping others who are suffering with the ailment.

The events of Dec. 26, 2004, will forever be etched in the memory of Jamie Pittman. "I think Jeremiah 29:11 is so much more real to me in the fact that God, how it says, 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you ...,'" Pittman said. On that fateful day, Pittman and his family, missionaries in Thailand, were vacationing in the small coastal village of Phuket, when the tsunami struck. The Pittmans, who were at the tail end of their week-long vacation, usually headed for the beach after breakfast, but that morning they deviated from their normal plans.

For most people, dialing a phone or chopping a carrot is a simple task. But if your hands have been weakened by multiple sclerosis or arthritis, such tasks may seem impossible. However, help is available in the form of new technologies and devices that compensate for loss of strength and mobility. Area residents are welcome to learn more about such devices at Mobility Day set for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 23 at Centenary United Methodist Church's Christian Life Center on Perryville Road at the entrance to Millennium Park.

The third annual Hope Springs Yard Sale is set for Friday at the Presbyterian Church at the Walnut Street entrance. Local volunteers have collected and organized nearly 3,000 items, including furniture and baby clothes donated by local families and name-brand clothing donated by Centre College students. Among the items in the sale are shelving units, microwave ovens, coffeemakers, computer equipment and children's toys. The sale will open at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and all proceeds will be used to assist local persons who have multiple sclerosis.

Dear Editor: First, please let me thank you for publishing your article in Thursday's edition regarding community members' organization of a yard sale to benefit multiple sclerosis. As a young woman living with multiple sclerosis, I thank both this newspaper and the organizers for bringing attention to MS. This type of public support to the cause will help in finding a cure for this disease. However, I do want to emphasize that the article's headline, "Yard sale will benefit MS victims," is not the best possible way to describe those of us living with MS. The majority of us do not think of ourselves as victims, nor do we want others to view us as such.