We are deeply sorry to announce the loss of a passionate
advocate for the MS community. Helen Mangan, MSF’s Associate Director of
Support Groups and Outreach has passed away.
Since 1995, Helen had worked tirelessly to provide support for people
with MS and their families.
Helen wholeheartedly believed in the power of support groups
to give people the strength to battle multiple sclerosis. Over 17 years with
the MSF, she nurtured the growth of the MSF’s Support Group Program from a
dozen scattered groups in 1996 to a nationwide network of nearly 150 thriving
groups today. Helen’s vision of a support group as a positive, enriching part
of life for people with MS helped nourish a movement away from support groups
as ‘pity parties’ and toward groups that serve to provide a sense of community
and camaraderie.
Over the years, thousands of people with MS and caregivers came to know Helen and to count her as a friend. Her energy, determination, and compassion were an inspiration. Her passing is a loss to the entire MS community.
Helen’s first priority was serving the needs of the groups she assisted, so the MSF will continue to be there for the support group leaders, co-leaders and members who meant so much to her. MSF’s Lead Caseworker Crystal Milligan will be stepping in to keep Helen’s legacy thriving.
Those who would like to share their memories and positive recollections about Helen can email them to editor@msfocus.org or post them on https://www.facebook.com/MultipleSclerosisFoundation. Some of these will be included in articles in tribute to Helen in the MSF’s publications. All these happy memories will be collected and presented to Helen’s family with the love and sympathy of the MS community.
