This week is MS Awareness Week. The National MS Society is hosting a variety of events each day this week.

Each day at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. Pacific) there will be a webcast with various topics from treatments, to daily living, to kids with MS. Each topic will be presented by a different physician.

Today is the start of a new website. FaceofMS.org This website has been created through the collaboration of the National MS Society. It has been designed to raise awareness. It is a place where people with MS can go on-line to share their stories and hear about the stories of others. It is also a place where people who know little about the disease can go to learn about the disease from those who know about it first hand, those who have been directly touched by it. I would encourage each person who reads this to take a minute out of your day to go check out this website and that of the National MS Society. I have links provided to both sites off to the side. Make a donation if you are able. Do some good. If you have been touched by MS share your story. EVERY VOICE MATTERS. EVERY STORY COUNTS.

Tuesday is MS Day of HOPE. Speak. There is power in numbers! Participate in a special MS Awareness action alert fighting for increased funding from NIH for MS research. Send an e-mail or make a free call to your legislators. We need YOU to speak out about an important issue impacting people with MS. Show Your Support. Wear MS bands of HOPE or ribbons of HOPE. Visit Goodsearch.com The National MS Society is the featured "charity of the day". Attention New Yorkers: The Empire State Building will be lit Red today in honor of MS Day of HOPE.

Wednesday. Hear stories by logging on the FaceofMS.org or checking out other blogs. Keep in touch with others who have MS. Contact your local National MS Society chapter. Log on and participate in the webcast.

Thursday. Share your experiences. Leave me a message. If you share your story with me I will post it on my site. Or, submit your story at FaceofMS.org. Join an online support group, go to a local support group. Talk to a friend or family member. Put a link to these websites on your blog.

Friday. Get involved. Join the National MS Society. Make a donation in honor or memory of a friend or loved one. Volunteer at a local chapter or other related organization. Give a gift of stock or securities. Attend an event. Get corporate sponsorship or workplace giving. Share the care with Avon. Sell on ebay and donate a % to the National MS Society. Join other organizations like Youth Against MS and Women Against MS. Participate in the MS walk, bike ride, or run. Do you like music? Who doesn't? Go to montelms.org and for as little as a $15 donation to the Montel Williams MS Foundation you can receive a gift of the 2005 MS Music Fest concert CD. Every bit helps. Do your part!

No matter where we happen to be in our lives currently, we each have the ability to do some good. I believe that we can make a difference. It is up to us to get our stories out. We are the ones who live with this every day. It is our responsibility to help others understand. It is through our helping others that we in turn help ourselves. This is how we become better people.