The local Director of Walk MS Sarah Borst joins host Lynne Jarman-Johnson along with Consumers employee Becky Nap to discuss Becky’s MS journey and how the MS Society is working to “Stop, Restore and End” MS. Also, Money Minute expert Scott Dobson shares three reasons why kids should start saving now as part of the Wimee Kids’ Savings Club.

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00:00:06,770 Lynne Jarman-Johnson (LJJ): Money I’m Home! Welcome in. I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. Today we have a great podcast for you. It’s all about the focus of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS. We walk the walk, and today we’re going to talk the talk. Let’s jump right in.

One of the most inspiring stories that we like to talk to you about and share is our partnership with Multiple Sclerosis. And I have been really proud to walk with the MS Walk. Today, we’re going to find out not only how important the MS Walk is, but also listen to Becky’s story. She has been with us every year here on Money I’m Home, telling her journey, and she’s part of our Consumers family.

Becky Nap, thank so much for joining us today. So exciting.

Becky Nap (BN): Of course. It’s always a pleasure.

00:00:51,261 LJJ: Sarah Borst, you are the director of the MS Walk, which just took place. Oh, my goodness! What a great turnout. A little chilly.

Sarah Borst (SB): Just a little. But you know what? That didn’t stop anybody from coming. It was—it was a wonderful event. So meaningful.

00:01:07,536 LJJ: Consumers is so proud to be a partner with you every single year, Sarah, and one of the reasons why is because we have individuals and team members that are on our team who not only might have MS but know someone who does and knows how important your work is. Tell us how important it is for companies to help support you every year.

00:01:29,048 SB: Yeah, so thank you very much for having me. I appreciate having this opportunity to talk not only about the MS Society, but to hear more about Becky. I know I have worked with her for many, many years and her story is so inspiring and so real. And Becky is just a wonderful human being. So I just adore her.

And then on that note, I adore Consumers Credit Union. It is such a fantastic partner with the MS Society. You know, you support our Bike MS events in West Michigan and Holland and you also support Walk MS here. Well, I should say, in Grand Rapids. And, you know, we’ve been partnering together for so many years. I think it’s so important not only from, you know, your financial support of helping to underwrite the events by sponsoring them so that, you know, Becky’s hard-earned fundraising can go directly to the mission. But beyond that because, you know, you show your support for the MS Society, which then in turn shows Becky and then anyone else affected by MS, you know, that you care about them as human beings. And it’s just so powerful and so meaningful. And I get to—I have the opportunity to watch that unfold right in front of me. And I just appreciate that, and I appreciate this partnership.

00:02:57,864 LJJ: Well, thank you, Sarah. And, you know, Sarah mentions the journey that people take. And whether it be someone whose relative has MS … Today, I introduced you to Becky Nap. And Becky and I have worked together for over a decade, so honored to do so. And I have watched you and your journey as a mother, as a friend, as somebody who literally every day wakes up not knowing what the day is going to entail. Tell us about your steps.

00:03:26,546 BN: Yeah, so this year is 15 years since my diagnosis, which is pretty wild. Seems crazy to me still. But this July it’ll be 15 years, and it’s just a roller coaster, right? You, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.

This year has been different for me. I started experiencing a new symptom called the “MS hug” … least favorite thing ever. It’s really intense on your chest, and it kind of makes you feel like you’re having a heart attack. And it goes on for it could be a minute; it could be 20 minutes. It just depends.

And my sweet daughter will try to push on my back and hold my hand and just get through it, you know? But as I’ve progressed in my disease and the number of years, a lot of my symptoms are becoming a little bit more normal, regular. So, I often have restless legs. I often have extreme fatigue. So as whereas those were a little bit less often, it’s becoming more regular for me.

So just learning to deal with it in different ways and be really careful in the summer with the heat because MS is triggered by heat. So yeah, we’re just adjusting.

00:04:41,187 LJJ: Wow, you know, and when you talk about learning those symptoms. Sarah, that’s one thing that I think that is so critical of what MS does, the MS Society: Bringing that education and also helping people learn when there’s something new and research that’s going on.

00:04:57,596 SB: There is so much going on in research. We have—the National MS Society is part of a global initiative called Pathways to a Cure. And that is really—Becky,
this might sound familiar to you because we talk about it all the time. It’s “Stop, Restore and End.”

So, our end goal is to stop MS in its tracks, restore what’s been lost for people who have, you know, maybe lost mobility or, you know, so many different symptoms. MS looks so different and every single person who has it. And then ultimately, you know, end MS forever. You know, that’s what we’re here to do. And the amount of research that’s going into, you know, Stop, Restore and End is truly fascinating.

My personal side of things, my dad had MS. He was diagnosed in 1988. And back then I was a really little kiddo. And the only— really the only treatment out there at the time was just go to the hospital and get steroids. And that can be really hard on your body. And, you know, today there’s over 20 disease modifying therapies.

The MS Society has had its hand in every single one of those therapies and the development along the way. And I’m really proud of the work that the MS society has done, you know, to take these steps and make a difference. And, you know, we don’t know it all, but we’re certainly trying to know it all, and to get to that cure.

So, it’s an exciting time. But I say that with a “but” because there’s still more work to be done. And you know, with Walk MS and other events, fundraising events, we’re going to get there. We’re going to get there.

00:06:54,893 LJJ: Well, Sarah, your passion obviously is stemming not only from being a young age and seeing MS impact your family. You know, every day you must wake up and think to yourself, is today the day? You know, will there be a new breakthrough today?

00:07:10,969 SB: Yes. Oh, my gosh. You’re so right. We—I mean, I say “kid,” but not really, because we’re serious. My colleagues and I talk about the day that we are going to have the biggest party this world has ever seen. The day we cure MS. And we really believe that, you know, that’s coming eventually. And I can’t wait to be out of a job. I literally cannot wait. So everyone’s invited to the party whenever it gets here.

00:07:40,085 LJJ: Well, we will be celebrating with you, I’m sure. For sure we will. We’ll throw that party for you, Sarah. How’s that? Deal. I love it.

So, Becky, you know, you mentioned that you wake up one day and all of a sudden you have a new symptom. You’re a mom, you’re working, you’re a caregiver, you know, in your own home. So, tell me a little bit about what you face daily. And then, all of a sudden, when there’s a new symptom, I mean, it has to be really scary.

00:08:09,901 BN: Yeah, I mean, I think every day is just kind of—it’s new, a new challenge, right? And I try my best to listen to my body. I’m not always the best at that. I will be very honest. It’s hard for me when the lawn needs to be mowed and it’s hot outside, and I know I probably shouldn’t go do it. But then I do it anyways, and then I regret it. Because my whole body will just go numb and tingly. And then I got to run in the house and take a cold shower to calm myself down.

And being a mom is hard in those moments too, because, you know. Rylan’s 11 now. She’s in sixth grade. And she’s super understanding. She’s dealt with this her whole life. So, she tries, but sometimes she is annoyed that I need to take a nap all the time. Like she’s like, “You’re going to take a nap again?” Yeah, I am, because I have to. You know, we really have to learn our bodies.

And that new symptom that I had, I didn’t know what it was for like a couple of weeks. All of a sudden, I was like, my gosh, it’s an MS hug. And I, I just—I’ve gone almost 15 years and never had one.

LJJ: So then you weren’t even thinking about that.

BN: Yeah, and so it took me some time to realize it. But you do just–it’s a lot of assessing your own body. Like, “Is this normal? Is this from my MS? Is this from something else?” So sometimes it can be hard to decipher those symptoms, too.

00:09:25,776 LJJ: Sarah, when you listen to Becky’s story, how important is the support system that comes with not only the MS Society, but all of those people around you that help you get through it?

00:09:37,116 SB: Oh, my gosh. It’s incredibly important. And Becky, I know that the MS hug sounds like such a pleasant thing, but, you know, who doesn’t want to hug? But it’s not. And I feel for you. That is not—that is not fun from what I heard. So I hope you get some relief from that soon.

But yeah, I mean, having a support system around those living with MS is—I can’t even express how important it is. You know, my mom was always there for my dad and she had three little kids at the time. And, I mean, it’s a lot. And MS not only affects the person who’s living with MS, of course, but also, you know, the whole family. It can make you stronger as a unit, together … because of the things that you have to go through together.

And if I can put in a shameless plug here, I think with the new Walk MS experience and how we really—you can see it in my background—how we really show the circles of support and how important that is and the people who surround those living with MS, and really take pride in caring for or checking in on. It’s really incredible to see.

And on Saturday, when we were at the event, this was the first time we had done this in Michigan, and it was so touching just to see those, you know, holding up their orange circles saying, “I live with MS, and I am here today to do something about it.” And then those that are there to care about someone living with MS, they held their green circles, and so on and so forth.

And it just—it was so touching, and it really just shows the importance of the community in which you surround yourself. And it’s just— I can’t tell you how important it is.

00:11:40,617 LJJ: Becky, tell us about the Walk. And, you know, our Consumers family, we come out strong.

00:11:45,719 BN: Yeah, we do. It’s always just such a beautiful day to kind of feel celebrated and supported. And so, I actually had a friend show up and I didn’t even know he was coming. So, he’s tricking me in the morning and like, “Oh, I’m at home.” And then there he was. And that was just so cool.

My best friend Libby, she showed up and had a shirt made for support. And it’s just really cool to feel that love on that day. And it’s amazing to be in this giant room full of so many people. And it was really cool, Sarah, to see everybody lift up their different circles of support. It really helps make it easier to live with it.

00:12:25,108 LJJ: Well, Sarah and Becky, thank you so much for joining us today here on Money, I’m Home. I want you all to know that, you know, just because the Walk already happened, “the Bike” is coming up. But also, every single day you can make a difference, and you can go on to our website, ConsumersCU.org or onto the Multiple Sclerosis Society website, and you can still donate. Make sure that if you do, you can join a team if you’d like to and or just donate personally any way that you would like. Obviously, we just heard it makes a huge difference.

Sarah, Becky, thank you so much.

00:12:59,260 BN: Thank you.

00:12:59,660 SB: Thank you so very much. It was great seeing both of you! And Becky, I’m always rooting for you!

00:13:05,196 BN: Thank you so much. I appreciate you and all you do.

00:13:13,668 LJJ: And now it’s time for our Money Minute Expert. And joining us today is Wimee. Our Kids Club … Savings Club robot, who is for your kid. And also, don’t forget Scott Dobson. He’s our financial expert. Scott, how important is it for families to really start saving, right when those kids are little?

00:13:33,779 Scott Dobson (SD): I think it’s super important, and I think there’s three good reasons for it.

Reason Number One is just habits. If you’re a young person and you’re in the habit of—every time, maybe you get some Christmas money or birthday money, you earn some money, you save a little bit of it, you just get into that habit.

Number two, it gets you used to having money saved. We run into lots of people who have just—it’s not their normal to save money. You get money, you spend money.

Lots of kids, even like—if you get Christmas money, you go spend that Christmas money. So, to just to have the idea of saving can really help a young person.

And the third most important one, the thing that my dad said to me all the time, is the longer you save, the longer it has to earn. So if you start, you know, 10 years younger than someone else, you save for 10 years longer down the road. So not only does it help you think in terms of savings, but really, can actually save you or your kid a lot of money in the future.

00:14:27,675 LJJ: Thank you so much, Scott. Join the Wimee Kids’ Savings Club right now at Consumers Credit Union. All you have to do is go online and open an account for your child and/or stop into any office. We’ll be glad to help you out.

It’s stories like today that really do impact every one of us. Becky’s story about how she walks the walk, and Sarah’s story about how the MS Society is making a drastic difference through research and education.

You can also participate. Head to our website ConsumersCU.org, or head to the MS Society website. It’s your impact that really does make a difference, just like we heard today.

I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson. Money, I’m Home.