Founded in October 2000, The Montel Williams MS Foundation was created in order to help certain multiple sclerosis organizations and institutions conduct research into cures for the chronic neurological disease. Some of the different places that the foundation has given funding to include Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Yale, Accelerated Cure Project, the University of California, and the Karolinska Institute. All of the public’s donation money currently goes to research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. Since the foundation started collecting money, it has been able to distribute over 1.5 million dollars to various research institutions and organizations across the world that study multiple sclerosis.
The main goal of the Montel Williams MS Foundation is to provide funding to research institutions in order to eventually find a cure for the degenerative disease. Currently, there is no cure. The only treatments available for multiple sclerosis can slow down the progression of the disease and help with the symptoms. While there are advances being made in this field, the end goal of researchers and medical professionals is to eventually find a permanent cure in order to completely wipe out the disease, which affects many people of varying ages all across the world.
The Montel Williams MS Foundation – Montel’s MS Story
One of the reasons that Montel Williams started this foundation and backs it so strongly is because he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has had an ongoing struggle with it for many years. Like many others diagnosed with the chronic disease, he thought it was a death sentence. He was unsure of what multiple sclerosis really was and felt incredibly dismayed by the diagnosis. However, rather than remaining silent about his disease and his struggle with it, he revealed he was diagnosed with it in 1999 and used his resources as a prominent talk show host in order to help educate the public about the disease.
Montel’s bravery to talk about his struggle with the disease openly has helped people understand how the disease works and why ongoing treatment and care is so important. This gives the general public insight and helps them to understand the importance of ongoing research into a cure. This is one of the reasons that the Montel Williams MS Foundation is so successful. Through Montel’s personal story, the foundation is able to reach not only people with the disease, but their loved ones and families, medical professionals, and the general public.