Margo Murchison

Looking for a cure to MS in her lifetime

Margo Murchison thinks it’s an exciting time to be chronically ill. A surprising statement from anyone; especially from someone with multiple sclerosis. In fact, Margo firmly believes that a cure for MS will be found in her lifetime. And she is putting her money on the MS and stem cell research being done at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital.

Margo was first diagnosed with MS in 1982, at the age of 27, when two fingers on her left hand started to involuntarily curl closed. A Grade 2 teacher in Kanata, she continued to teach for another 18 years while the disease progressively took its toll on her body.
Now largely housebound and confined to a scooter, Margo remains optimistic about her future.

“I really believe something will happen in my lifetime,” she says. “I don’t believe I will be wheelchair-bound all my life. I see myself playing tennis at 80.” Much of this confidence comes from the work being done at the OHRI, including promising advances in stem cell research. “I feel very hopeful; researchers are so close to a cure. Maybe someone discovered the cure today and we just don’t know it yet.”

To support this important work, Margo makes monthly donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. She chose to donate monthly because “you feel good when you donate, so I get to feel good every month.” And she knows that regular donations help the Hospital plan for future research.

Margo believes that supporting research is the best use of her money. “I prefer to donate to something that is solely focused on finding a cure rather than on finding better ways for people to live with the disease. I don’t want to live with MS; I want to live without it.”