How to keep busy in a MS'ed up life
You may know your MSed up life and think "What can I do with it? Education is diverse and does not always come with a teacher other than life itself. 4 walls, brick and mortar formal educational institution is good and all but many potential businesses and non-profits can be owned and managed by the MS'ed up community with a diverse range of realized skill sets they turned into a profitable business helping other MS'ed up people like you and themselves among the diverse range of potential clients in Northern BC. I took courses through "
Make A Change Canada" themed for
Business Development in Canada and
Web Design which included basic instruction in graphic programs like
Adobe Photoshop and design tools from coding with HTML to
Bootstrap,
PHP,
SEO Tools, Blogging for Business which helps SEO on
WordPress and other domains even here with this blog on Blog spot. That was all done at home with my internet connection. My latest website is ending soon, "
walknroll.info" is my domain for now. Sometime over the decade I was enrolled, I had to borrow internet access from the
Handy Circle resources Society. I am hoping now to have you support my next venture in creating a "Web Design Company" by
looking at getting your own website and hiring me to help you manage it. Yes with all my volunteerism I do hope to start a business someday like others I've met along this journey wearing my MS'ed up hat.
Employment from others
When I was first diagnosed I was employed by
London Drugs in Prince George in the Computer Department. Between 2002 and late 2007 I was unemployed with a diverse range of skill sets now including technical and a severely MS'ed up mind. This could be your story too, change the dates and place of employment. My Volunteerism, after focusing my MS'ed up mind, honed those technical skill sets and increased the web design skills I now use to help the Non-Profits. My Most notable use is the Website for our
Carefree Transportation Society which I built and gave to them and the one for
Volunteer Prince George which I help with site maintenance. I also facilitate the "
Prince George StopGap Ramp project" through the Handy Circle Resources Society. I have met a few MS'ed up people working long past diagnoses at lumber mills and in other administrative roles for many businesses. Many volunteer in non-leadership roles too just as important sometimes working as labor intensive as any paid job.
Speaking of Volunteerism
I've met a few MS'ed up people in the field of Volunteer Management.
MAID receiver Jenifer Werk was the President of the Carefree Transportation Society for around 3 years. It is a recognized non-profit which has been influential to BC Transit Accessibility since 1971, managing the HandyDART fleet in Prince George since long before accessibility was cool with public transit. She was also involved with a few other Non Profits as pure volunteerism too.
Tetra Prince George is managed by Nadine Lindstrom, an organization that helps MS among all disabling conditions including age to live comfortable lives from home. Ask her all about what else she does on the Tetra Website linked above. She manages other volunteers who think outside the box to overcome challenges to life, as the basic aims of her organization. She, like myself, gets a minimal wage for the volunteer services provided. Our official, often unspoken, title then is "
Professional Volunteers". I've come across other MS'ed up individuals volunteering time at places like
St Vincent de Paul's clothing store, serving food at the
Drop In centre and at the
Salvation Army giving out groceries, sometimes hope as needed. One calls the numbers out at
Bingo held weekly at the
Activity Centre for Empowerment. That MS'ed up person helped us get t
he room we now use there.
An interesting volunteer experience and a personal drive to #EndMS
You might have seen his face in Mimes shared on social media. A blond man blinking some replies to comments in a GIF. He's used that volunteerism to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis Research.
If
you’ve spent any time looking at reaction GIFs on the internet, you
know Drew Scanlon’s face. He’s the blond-haired man who shakes his head,
raises his eyebrows and blinks, in a series of expressions that seem to
say, “Oh … Wow. OK then.” His face, his blinking eyes actually, has raised well over $20,000 towards the MS Bike event. When we got diagnosed we became cash cows for the MS Society as well as our health care teams. Some of us use that to help research. We really are the face of Multiple Sclerosis. Not all of it is negative. Check out his efforts here
True successful Entrepreneurs
Health and Wellness
Golden Rays Apothecary
With life experience of MS Treatments, accredited study and self care of her own younger MS'ed up body, Ashley Provencher owns and operates (with a partner) "
Golden Rays Apothecary and Wellness" on Quebec St in Prince George. This MS'ed up business has herbs and essential oils, Reiki training and general wellness information and products services. The Prince George MS Community is proud to recommend the services offered by this business and including them within our diverse community. Ashley is also a proud volunteer for the annual MS Walk in Prince George and can often be found managing the business community who have booths at our major event
Ocean Rehab & Fitness
I attended the MS Connection event in October, 2019 held at Richmond British Columbia, it was held in the Weston Wall Centre by the Vancouver Airport (aka YVR). There were all sorts of booths, and I happened to run into Megan Williamson, an adaptive coach & certified Personal Trainer at it. She's all that and while overcoming her own MS with a BA degree. There is a very cool website she likely designed supporting the adaptive fitness business she I assume she owns and operates. If you do not live in her area, she trains online as well. It's focused on Spinal Cord Injury and MS, among other disabling conditions. We could see Megan on the Virtual Self Help Group as a guest speaker. You should register for that monthly support if you reside in the Northern Regional Chapter of the MS Society of Canada's BC and Yukon Division's area. Contact them to find out more about it.
There are others I am sure across BC
I have limited knowledge of what conditions any business proprietor I encounter have. We may have a relationship with frequent business but it's always so professional and non disclosing. Well, often I encounter other disabilities managing businesses. None have volunteered our mutual condition like Ashley who I had personal knowledge of her condition. If you are a Canadian MS'ed up business owner or operator please contact me from my
business website with your Business information and Web links. If you have a connection to the Prince George MS Community, or in Northern BC including the Yukon that would be nice too. I would love to update this blog post with your information
Been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2015, and I was a woman of 50. They put me on Rebif which I took until 2017 and was switched to Copaxone. I had two relapses on Rebif, none so far on Copaxone. I do notice my balance was getting worse, and my memory, as well as erectile dysfunction and spasms’ had no choice to sick for other solution and I was introduce to multivitamincare .org which I purchase the MS herbal formula from the org, the herbal supplement has successfully get rid of my multiple sclerosis and reversed all symptoms after using the herbs as the Dr said , this is almost a miracle and do believe multivitamincare .org herbal cure will be recognize globally because am sure the world are yet to see their wonderful work.
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