One of Australia’s premier magicians, Liam Power, will perform at a night of magic, music and dancing to support people living with multiple sclerosis.
The fun will get underway at 7pm on Saturday, September 10 with canapes in the Tasman Room at Mingara Recreation Club, followed by entertainment including dance band Party Latte and lucky door prizes.
Proceeds from the evening will be shared equally between Central Coast MS Branch and MS Plus, a leading source of information, advice and support services for people living with MS and other neurological conditions.
The MS Central Coast branch alone helps about 150 people with social and financial support by providing access to funding for specialised equipment, medical and mobility aids so they can live a more comfortable life.
Gosford/Narara MS Peer Support Group has 30 members and the Holgate group has about a dozen, with a growing number of people reaching out for support.
Colleen Daniels, who leads the Gosford/Narara group, and a band of other volunteers organised the fundraising event which has been wholeheartedly supported by many local businesses.
“MS flies under the radar a bit, it doesn’t get a lot of attention, so I think the Central Coast could lead the way to help and provide support for people because there’s a lot of us here on the Coast,” she said.
Daniels was diagnosed with neurological disease in 1998, and it was after moving to the Central Coast that she started to lose her ability to walk.
She started the support group in Narara in 2019 to help others cope and learn about local services.
“Being new to the Central Coast, and new to disability, I began to feel a growing need to connect with others who had MS, and that is why I reached out initially,” Daniels said.
“I started the group after contacting MS Connect and completing their peer support training.
“At the very first meeting, we had 18 people, people I had never met – and all either had MS or a loved one with MS.
“I have since met many more people living with MS here on the Central Coast and connections and friendships have formed as a result of the support group, and that is a very heartening thing.”
Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease of the central nervous system that interferes with nerve impulses from the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, manifesting in a wide range of symptoms and, although there is no cure yet, treatment can help people live comfortably with the disease.
There’s more than 25,000 Australians living with MS – most are diagnosed aged between 20 and 40 and roughly three times more women than men.
“We have an amazing group of members and volunteers that do fantastic work all throughout the year, raising awareness and fundraising to help those living with MS in our local community,” Daniels said.
“If no one talks about it – if there is no ‘noise’ around MS – it’s not likely there’ll be much push for that cure.
“For our children, for their children, we simply seek to do whatever we can to get rid of MS,” Daniels said.
Bookings for the Night of Magic, Music and Dancing can be made by emailing Colleen Daniels at gosfordpsg@gmail.com or phoning 0410 405 104.
Sue Murray