MS support group kicks off Friday

SWEA CITY, Iowa - "MS is a bizarre disease," admits Julie Hansen, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 17 years ago. "It hits everybody differently, and it's tough to find ... someone who's been through it too."

Hansen, of Swea City, and friend Sara Winkelman, are starting the support group after Winkelman was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis late last year.

"We've been trained by the National MS Society, because there is nothing in the line of support groups in our area of Iowa. The closest ones are in Mason City or Fort Dodge, and one in Mankato" Hansen said.

Sara Winkelman, left, and Julie Hansen, with unofficial mascot Diesel, are starting a MS support group for the region called the MS Warriors. The support group kicks off Friday with an evening picnic at Smith Lake, north of Algona.

The group will travel once it's established, going where members are located.

"We realize that with MS, mobility is a big issue," she said. "The national society is there to help us with information. ... We're trying to be the voice out there and provide a place for people to go."

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive autoimmune disorder that targets the coating on nerve cells.

"It's your own immune system attacking you," Hansen said.

The attack damages nerve cells and causes diminished function in the brain and spinal column. Common symptoms are trouble with mobility and balance; cognitive impairment, or "foggy brain;" and blurred vision, or optic neuritis. MS affects more women than men, with MS showing up in women shortly after giving birth.

Hansen was diagnosed in 1998, three years after her last child was born. But she admits she was in denial for the first few years.

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MS support group kicks off Friday