Why does this
Foundation Exist?
Imagine a world
where one day you are an elite athlete full of life and vitality, a
young woman living out your dreams.
Now imagine that
world being stripped away and replaced by a different world, a world
that consisted of lying in a nursing home bed completely paralysed,
unable to eat, speak or communicate with your loved ones.
That was what
happened to Trish Langsford after being struck down in the prime of her
life by the debilitating disease multiple sclerosis.
Trish represented New South Wales in the
Open Women's Cricket Team, was a member of the Australian Squad and
captained the Australian Youth Team against New Zealand. She graduated
from university with a degree in Human Movement and was appointed
Development Officer for Women's Cricket NSW.
She was devastated when, at the age of
23, she had to relinquish her job because of the effects of multiple
sclerosis. Sadly Trish lost her brave battle with
the debilitating disease, passing away peacefully on 16 March
2002. But Trish's death wasn't in vain. Those
people who watched Trish suffer as she lost her grip on life were
determined to save others from the tragic consequences of this insidious
disease.
A team of volunteers banded together and,
with the support of an eminent Scientific Research Committee, formed the
Trish Multiple Sclerosis Research
Foundation.
The Foundation's goal is simple and
specific - find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic
degenerative disease of the Central Nervous System and is the most
common neurological disease that affects young adults.
In MS sufferers the myelin, which encases
the nerve fibres and assists nerve function, becomes inflamed and
damaged causing plaques or lesions of inflammation and the myelin is
lost from many areas of the Central Nervous System.
In contrast to a number of other
charities, the Foundation is staffed solely by a team of volunteers who give their time and resources for free so that
every dollar
raised is placed into research.
