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Summer Heat Can Be Dangerous for People Living With MS

National MS Society Needs Air Conditioner Donations

If you think the muggy summer heat is hard to bear, consider the plight of people living with multiple sclerosis.

As the mercury rises, as many as 80 percent of people living with MS, a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease, experience worsened symptoms such as increased fatigue, weakness and visual disturbances.

The National MS Society helps the 11,000 people living with MS in the Greater Delaware Valley overcome these challenges with its air conditioner exchange program. The program, which connects people in need of air conditioners with people who have units to donate, provided air conditioners for about 70 people living with MS in 2008.

The program is in critical need of donated air conditioners this summer. While the summer is just starting to heat up, the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter already has a 50-person waiting list for units.

Ann Zeiser of Allentown, Pa., said the two air conditioners she received through the program in May were "a lifesaver." The heat affects her speech, thoughts and ability to function during the day, she said.

Until receiving the donated units, she was confined to her bedroom, where a worn-out unit struggled to cool the air. Now her entire downstairs is livable.

"The cooler I am, the better off I am," she said. "The more energy I have during the day, the more I can do and the more I can function."

The Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National MS Society needs the community's support to help keep people living with MS cool this summer. If you have a new or used air conditioner that you would like to donate, please call 1-800-548-4611 or e-mail Barbara.Marriott@pae.nmss.org.