Cornwall_2016_10_26

Rising above Multiple Sclerosis

Karen Torrie-Racine, a volunteer with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada for 31 years, knows too well what the disease is capable of. — photo Francis Racine

FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca

Sclerosis Society of Canada has been liv- ing with the disease for over 31 years now. “There’s no cure for it,” she expressed in the MS Foundation office on Boundary Road, where she’s been volunteering for 31 years. “I live with it every single day.” It was in 1985 that Karen first noticed that something was wrong. “I used to take

aerobatic classes,” she said smiling. “It was popular in the 1980’s. During one of them, I realized that I couldn’t see color out of one of my eye. It was in black and white.” She made an appointment to go see an oculist, which then referred her to an eye expert. “They weren’t quite sure what it was,” she explained.

But soon enough, Karen became aware that she lost feeling in the left side of her body. “I drovemyself to the Ottawa Hospital, where they put me into theMultiple Sclerosis clinic.” MS is a long-lasting disease that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in the eyes. It can cause problems with vision,

Behind Karen Torrie-Racine’s glowing smile and her welcoming eyes is the story of a fighter. The well known local volunteer and vol- unteer office manager with the Multiple

Le Journal, Cornwall

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Le mercredi 26 octobre 2016

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