Every hour of every day, another man, woman, or child will be diagnosed with this devastating disease.
A diagnosis of a chronic illness can certainly be felt as a loss. Having to come to terms with a chronic disease can
mean that life as we know it has changed. Disease brings limitations and loss of the self we thought we knew.
There can also be loss of independence, and ultimately, loss of control.
There are five major stages of grief that people go through when experiencing a loss. People move through the stages
of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, in an emotional journey towards the final stage - acceptance.
A diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and/or diabetes can change a person's life and cause them to grieve the loss of
their health, and their previous way of life. Impending complications, permanent changes in lifestyle, loss of
identity as a once healthy person can all feel like everything is out of control.
The five stages are almost protective in nature, allowing a person to deal with small chunks of grief at a time,
until the whole is resolved.
Support groups can be very beneficial for people who are newly diagnosed. The atmosphere of friendship, knowledge
and camaraderie can be very welcoming for someone who is trying to adjust to the challenges that dealing with a
disease presents. And it's a good place to meet people who have already accepted the fact that they have Multiple Sclerosis and to hear their stories.
Charleston MS Self Help Group
Meets 3rd Thursday at 7:00PM
MUSC, Basic Science Building, Rm 120 Get Map
Mt. Pleasant MS Self Help Group
Meets 2nd Saturday at 10:30AM
East Cooper Community Outreach
1145 Six Mile Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC Get Map
Jed 843.388.8127 jedelm@gmail.com
North Charleston Area MS Support Group
Meets 2nd Tuesday at 10:30AM
St Thomas Episcopal Church
1150 E. Montague Get Map
Sharon 843.225.4271 or 843.323.6113 shrdav8@aol.com
Summerville MS Support Group
Meets 3th Friday at 11:00AM
from September - May
Bethany United Methodist Church, Rm 118
118 W. 3rd South St.
Summerville, SC Get Map
Elizabeth 843.873.0818 epeterson6@sc.rr.com
Wednesday July 14th from 1-3 and Wednesday July 21st from 1-3 for one group
OR
Monday July 19th from 10:30-12:30 and Monday July 26th from 10:30-12:30 for the other group.
As always the first day will be the evaluations and the second session will be the follow up with a comprehensive program and educational material.
If interested, please email Sara at kraftsv@musc.edu or call 792-0091.
See flyer
This website is a support group for persons with Multiple Sclerosis. There is no substitute for seeing your very own health care professional. It is not a comprehensive guide to the illness.We cannot guarantee that all of the information used here is accurate!! The information provided here is taken from many different resources. This website aims to open up discussion amongst the MS community, to share and support MS and all its facets.
