Taragh Donohoe, communication executive with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, says her role has become more than a job
Providing information is a huge part of what we do at the multiple sclerosis (MS) society.
Sometimes people perceive MS as someone in a wheelchair who is not able to participate in the community but most people with MS live relatively healthy and active lives.
Undoubtedly, there are some people who would use mobility aids or would need home assistance, but a lot of people live the lives that they want.
That's where we come in, providing information about where to go for entitlements or providing one-to-one sessions with people to assess their needs and look at what agencies can assist them. So it's about letting people live the way that they want to live.
There is no cure for MS. What a lot of people are looking for is information about ways to help with symptoms, ways to aid them living with MS as comfortably and successfully as possible. My role is to provide information to people in whatever format is most beneficial.
The communications department is new, so a portion of my time is spent on the strategy side and we are reviewing all the different communications tools. One side is communicating to our members and staff and people interested in MS specifically but then there's also the area of public awareness about MS as a condition and how we can get people involved in raising money or helping out in lots of other ways. There are two jobs there but they mesh into one.
One of the big jobs that I would be involved in is our magazine, MS News.
It goes out to more than 6,000 people every quarter with updates on health and social issues, and we'd have a fairly big section on our 40 voluntary branches all around Ireland.
Our booklets are huge, we have about 15 types.
We also have a dedicated helpline that provides a lot of information to people about MS - the symptoms, living with MS, relationships, disclosure to employers.
We provide up-to-date information for that. It's a one-to-one service and sometimes it's about listening to people's fears and reassuring them about how things will work out and how they can expect their lives to change.
We also recently made a DVD about multiple sclerosis so I have been promoting that, and we have done a lot of public relations recently on Tysabri, a drug that helps relieve symptoms of MS, and stem cells.
Having people phoning up and looking for more information is very rewarding and I think the passion about providing people with information carries you through.
It has become more than a job for me.
The whole area that interests me is about assisting people to make their lives better in some way and it means so much more to me than my pay cheque or promotions or bonuses. I just love it.
• For further information on MS, log on to www.ms-society.ie.