My MSAA Community – One Year Later!

[johnMSAA]

Can you believe it's officially been one year since MSAA launched this here online peer-to-peer forum with our awesome partners, HealthUnlocked?!

My, how far we've come in just a short time (CHECK OUT THOSE STATS IN THE PICTURE!)...seems like just yesterday we were at a few hundred followers - and now we have more than 1,900!

To honor the occasion, we gave an interview to HealthUnlocked about this milestone which you can now read on their HU blog here:

blog.healthunlocked.com/pos...

We hope My MSAA Community has allowed individuals living with MS, their care partners, and their families & friends the opportunity to share their experiences, discuss a variety of topics, and support others in a friendly and safe environment. Over the past year, we've seen how our Community members have been able to connect with other people affected by MS, contribute to ongoing conversations, and start their OWN conversation asking for advice or sharing their journey.

Of course, we wouldn't have been able to develop and maintain such a healthy, vibrant, informative, and INVITING space without the help of our dedicated Community Ambassadors Jesmcd2 Fancy1959 & WAshingtongirl helping to welcome new members and keep the various conversations going. We are indebted to all three of you...and to the rest of our 1,900+ followers and counting!

If you ever have a question about how to get the best out of this Community, our Ambassadors are the best ones to ask! You can also always tag me ( @johnMSAA ) or my colleague MSAA_Staff for additional questions about MSAA or anything else.

Thank you again, and bring on Year Two!

- John, MSAA

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

Congratulations and Thank You John and Emily. You got us started and for so many, we found out we were not alone in the world of MS. I've made friends here that will be life long friends. You have saved me personally when I was so down with all the testing and waiting for results. Love ❤️ & hugs 🤗 to all. Thank you, John for this post!

[greaterexp]

How grateful we are for those who put in the time and energy to get this started and those who maintain it. What a blessing you all have been!

[luvhair in reply to greaterexp]

Yes

[erash]

Thank you johnMSAA MSAA_Staff and MSSA

And a special big thank you to Fancy1959 Jesmcd2 and WAshingtongirl and of course our Birthday organizer jimeka

My MSSA is such an important part of my day and I have made so many friends and received so much support over this very transitional year for me. 💕💕💕

[agapepilgrim in reply to erash]

I especially appreciate Jesmcd2 !! She has been an inspiring voice for me!

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Absolutely for our birthday ambassador jimeka 💕

And each and everyone of you! I have said it before, that we are all in this together, just at different places in the river.

Love you all! And Happy Anniversary to You All!

[agapepilgrim in reply to Jesmcd2]

I think God for you Jesmcd2

[kdali]

Cheers! 🎉 🎂

[melack01]

I know coming across this site definitely happened at the right time for me. I am grateful for the caring and kind words I have received. It is so wonderful to see posts about symptoms you can relate to and not feel so alone.

[Doubled51]

Thank you to all who have been a part of creating and maintaining this wonderful site. I've only been dx for 4 months or so but the people here welcomed me and helped me accept that I still had a life to live. Just a bit slower. You have all been such a blessing to me. Thanks for all the prayers encouragement and advice you have given so freely. Good health and God bless. I love you all.

Donnie

[jimeka]

To everyone, I just say thank you. I came across this site when it had first started. I was suffering from depression and the NHS let me down. I was fed up of being told that there was nothing they could do for me, what did I expect them to do? I went to my doctors in September for the depression and I received a phone call on Christmas Eve asking if they could help. I was so low I could have jumped in the river but I can't do that because of my faith. But I had already found this site. You all saved my sanity, plus more. I am so thankful to you all. This is a place where I can come and share how I feel, to people who truly understand, I can have a laugh, cry, etc. I must admit it saddens me when people leave the site due to unforeseen circumstances and it's great when they surface again. This site gives support, insight, friendship, and I especially want to say a big thank you to erash kdali and BillD999 for their medical input. My list of thanks is endless, so too all Jesmcd2 , Fancy1959 , WAshingtongirl and all the rest of you too numerous to mention, blessings Jimeka 🦋 🌈 🤗 🍫

[kdali in reply to jimeka]

Aww! You are a huge part of this little community, thank you for sticking around 😘

[Doubled51 in reply to jimeka]

Jimeka you are a blessing to us all.

Donnie

[agapepilgrim in reply to jimeka]

jimeka i am so thankful that you wrote “I could have jumped in the river but I cannot because of my Faith.” I am at that point. It’s been. Downhill struggle for about a year. I thought it would get better, it this year has been the worst yet, and thinking those kind of deep depressive thoughts. Thank you for being brave to post those thoughts. It’s a difficult hole to climb out of, and I never thought I would be at that point again. I just hope 2019 is better than 2018.

[jimeka in reply to agapepilgrim]

It’s great to hear from you, sorry that you are feeling that way. It is an awful place to be, a big hug, and know you are loved. Blessings Jimeka 🤗 🌈 💐

[jimeka]

kdali Doubled51 thank you, but we all make this site such an awesome site.🦋 🌈 👍 🍫

[WAshingtongirl]

I'm a bit late, but a big thanks to the MSAA and HealthUnlocked for providing the 'brain' of this fabulous forum, and a hug to all of you who are the heart and soul of it. This forum has blessed me with new friends who really 'get' me--friends who share in my joys and struggles. Happy anniversary to us all! 💞

[Sukie427]

I am AMAZED at how many people have joined this site! And everyone has contributions to make! If we all put our heads together, maybe we could come up with a cure (LOL)

[janetb1968]

Thank u for everything u all do and u are all brilliant helping us MS folk plod on xxx from across the pond u are all fab! ❤🤗🤗🤗🤗

[Hailfried]

Yes...this is an awesome site!!! I just wish that there was an android app already. Any news about when that is coming??? Thanks!!

[johnMSAA Partner in reply to Hailfried]

Thanks for the nice words! I checked with HealthUnlocked, which houses our My MSAA Community (among many other disease and patient support communities) - they said an Android version of their Communities app is still in progress with their development team but there is no date currently.

Always good to keep checking with them via [e-mail] and requesting that Android version! In the meantime, this site is mobile optimized so that members can still view it via the browser on their mobile devices.

- John, MSAA