Serena Hartley

There is no cure for MS and the drugs that are available to slow down the disease are only suitable for a minority of people with MS. In 2001 Serena Hartley set up a research programme at North Tees Hospital which involved seeing how exercise impacted on a person with MS as well as giving out vital information about disability issues. The programme was successful and is still running today at two local hospitals helping many people manage their MS on a daily basis. One group found it so helpful they started meeting socially on a regular basis thus ending the isolation felt by many people with MS. Others want to participate again because it inspired them so much. Many have since taken up exercise on a regular basis as a means of managing their MS. Serena has had the results of the research programme published in a medical journal and has also completed a sponsored triathlon for research into MS. Although the programme does not impact directly on the disease it does offer a positive way of dealing with day to day living with MS Serena would say she was only doing her job but the impact this project has had on the local MS community is tremendous. Above all else it has given people a sense of positivity and control over how they deal with their daily lives.