232696
232830
Kelowna  

MS warrior honoured

A Kelowna woman has been honoured by the MS Society of Canada for her longtime volunteer commitment.

Michelle Hewitt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 10 years ago. Ever since, she has found ways to give her time, including her work as a member of the society's B.C. and Yukon Division government relations committee.

She also volunteers for the society’s 1:1 MS Peer Support Program. 

Hewitt was recently recognized with the society's Volunteer Impact in Advocacy and Awareness award.
  
Her advocacy led to the creation of the Accessible Transit Working Group in Kelowna. Since then, she has also started the Central Okanagan Disability Coalition, which sends quarterly newsletters for people with disabilities.
 
“Advocating for people with MS is extremely important to me, whether it is on an individual level or a systemic level. There are so many challenges that people feel they are facing alone, and it’s important to me to speak up for them, whenever I can,” she said. 
 
Although Hewitt faces the daily challenges that come with MS herself, she is also a caregiver to her husband, who is battling cancer.  
 
“My husband and I spend our lives being positive and looking forward, not dwelling on how our diseases have affected our lives,” she explains.

Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, with 11 Canadians diagnosed with MS every day. MS is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.



More Kelowna News