What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS for short) is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (also known as the central nervous system).

The brain is like a computer that sends messages to your body telling it what to do - like "walk" or "talk."

The spinal cord is like a thick bunch of wires attached to the brain. Messages travel from the brain along the spinal cord to the muscles all around your body.

So, if you brain wants your arm to lift up and wave, it sends a message along your spinal cord to your arm. Your arm gets the message and starts to wave!

When a person has MS, the covering (myelin) that protects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord is affected, so the message cannot always get through.

Multiple means many, and sclerosis means scars, so multiple sclerosis means many scars. MANY + SCARS = MANY SCARS

These scars on the myelin interrupt messages being sent, so when the brain tells the arm to wave, the message might not get through or gets mixed up so the arm doesn't do what the brain wants it to do.

"Sometimes my mom reaches out to get a coffee cup but the "message" doesn't get through to her hand and she misses."