Living with MS as a Teenager
Being a teen isn’t always easy. School, sports, friends, your parents and siblings… those are a lot of balls to juggle! Unlike some other teens, you also have the MS ball to juggle. This can at times make things seem more difficult and challenging to handle. There are a lot of people who are there to help you through these challenging times: your parents and other family members, your doctors and nurses, your friends, and the MS Society of Canada.
The MS Society of Canada and the National MS Society (United States) know that having MS can sometimes be hard so they have joined together to form a support network especially for children and teens like you, and your families. The network is called Children and Teens with MS: A Network for Families. The Network provides programs and resources for you and your parents.
Teens have the opportunity to join Ithink… Email Group. Ithink… is an email group for teens with multiple sclerosis managed by the National MS Society (NMSS). To ensure everyone's safety while participating in the e-mail group, the message traffic is be moderated and the group is closed to outside posters. For more information or to sign up for the e-mail group, please join the Network.
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Summer Camp Adventure
The MS Society offers a week-long camp each summer just for kids and teens with MS. Children and teens come from all across Canada for this incredible camp experience that includes activities like sailing, crafts, theatre, whitewater rafting, an overnight trip and more. The camp is fully accessible, with fun counselors and on site pediatric MS nurses. Campers get to choose which activities to participate in. The emphasis is on having fun together and leaving behind the stresses associated with living with MS.
For more information, or to see photos from previous summers visit the Summer Camp page on our website.
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Scholarships
The MS Society of Canada Scholarship Program, supported by Billy Talent and Friends, is a post-secondary scholarship program for teens and young adults in Canada who have MS or who have a parent with MS.
Find more information about the Scholarship Program on our website.
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Join / Contact
the Network
 For more information on childhood MS, specific programs and resources, or to join the Children and Teens with MS: A Network for Families, please contact:
Manager, Client Information and Support
MS Society of Canada
Toll Free: 1-866-922-6065
(416) 922-6065
E-mail: kidswithms@mssociety.ca
If there is anything you are not sure about, or do not understand, please speak to your parents or call us (free) at 1-866-922-6065 or you can e-mail us at kidswithms@mssociety.ca.
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Other Resources
Momentum – a magazine produced by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (USA). Includes a section called ‘Our Space’, which focuses on life as lived by those under 30.
MS World has an online forum for teens with MS (as well as teens with a parent or guardian with MS) www.msworld.org
10 Tips for people living with MS (this booklet is not necessarily for teenagers but provides some good, basic info about life with MS)
The Hospital for Sick Children Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Clinic
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