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<\/a><\/p>\nA free children\u2019s book aimed at supporting families to discuss multiple sclerosis (MS) has been launched by the UK\u2019s leading charity for people affected by the condition.<\/p>\n
The MS Society\u2019s\u00a0\u2018What is MS to me?\u2019\u00a0book features Tingo, a nerve cell, who helps young children understand MS with kindness, curiosity, and play.<\/p>\n
The national charity created the book alongside a group of people living with MS and healthcare professionals including Dr Alison Thomson from Queen Mary University of London. Playful illustrations are provided by Margie Sturton.<\/p>\n
There are around 150,000 people living with MS in the UK, more than 17,000 of whom live in Scotland, and 135 people are diagnosed each week. Many of these will have children or go on to have children in the future. <\/p>\n
The MS Society found that outside of medical outreach programmes like\u00a0Digesting Science<\/a>, there\u2019s was little available for children in the UK to help them understand and accept an MS diagnosis in their family.<\/p>\n Tingo guides readers through what they know about MS and encourages them to ask questions and make notes and drawings. A limited-edition Tingo toy was given away with some of the first books sold after its launch on Monday 28 July. The Tingo soft toy is a safe haven for children to return to during conversations about MS. Readers can pick Tingo up and keep them close for comfort and reassurance.<\/p>\n Robert Oldham, 45, from Greenbank, Edinburgh, was diagnosed with MS in 2005. He was part of the group of people who helped create \u2018What is MS to me?\u2019<\/p>\n Robert says:\u00a0\u201cAs the father of three kids I know how important it is to explain MS to children in a simple, non-scary way so that is why I wanted to help create something that fitted this. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had MS for 20 years and our eldest is 15, so all the children have grown up knowing that daddy has MS, but that\u2019s just a badge. They don\u2019t necessarily understand what that means. They know that I get tired, and can\u2019t walk that far so being kids, they just accept that. <\/p>\n \u201cThe book has been great for my youngest who\u2019s nine. We read it together and then I ask her if she has any questions she wants to ask. She loves to read and found the book engaging and helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n Sian McSorley, 57, from Corstorphine, Edinburgh, was also involved in the production of the new book. She was diagnosed with MS in 2017 and her symptoms include fatigue, pain and cognition issues.<\/p>\n She says: \u201cFrom my own experience I wasn\u2019t sure how to explain MS to my daughter without frightening the life out of her. I couldn\u2019t find anything that could help me with that. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing part of the group was a great opportunity to get Cara-Maria involved too. She was able to help with the information and designs, and it really helped to normalise MS for her a little. <\/p>\n \u201cWe talk about MS quite top level, that it\u2019s something that makes me tired and she accepts that. But this book will be great to explain what else can happen in MS. It\u2019s great that we can also share this resource with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n The MS Society is the UK\u2019s leading charity for people affected by MS.\u00a0For 70 years it has been at the forefront of support, research, and campaigning to improve the lives of people with MS.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gavin Atkins, Executive Director of Services and Support at MS Society, says: \u201cWe worked with an amazing group of people living with MS to create this book. We found that there was a need for families experiencing MS to have something tactile to help explain and explore the condition.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people are diagnosed with MS in their 30s or 40s and many of those will already have children or be thinking about starting a family.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re proud to have created this free resource to help adults have what can be difficult conversations with the children in their life. We hope this book and Tingo will be something families can come back to time and again to learn more about MS and make it easier to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n You can order your free copy of \u2018What is MS to me?\u2019 at\u00a0:<\/p>\n www.mssociety.org.uk\/tingo<\/a><\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n