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Muscular Dystrophy Association Hosts Facebook Live @MDAorg on Mental Health for the Neuromuscular Community on Monday, October 25 at 3pm ET

Moderated by Justin Moy alumni MDA National Ambassador, student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and featuring Mary Holt-Paolone, Mental Health Nurse at MDA's ALS Care Center, Temple University, and Mindy Henderson, MDA Director and Editor-in-Chief of Quest

New York, NY, October 5, 2021 –

What/Where/When: The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) invites you to join a special conversation @MDAorg, Facebook Live, on mental health considerations for individuals and their caregivers in the neuromuscular disease (NMD) community on Monday, October 25, at 3pm ET.

Featuring a Q&A open to a global audience including patients and caregivers from families living with neuromuscular diseases, the conversation aims to provide insights and practical tips to support good mental health.

Who:

• Moderator: Justin Moy former MDA National Ambassador, Student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Panelist: Mary Holt-Paolone, Mental Health Nurse at MDA's ALS Care Center, Temple University
• Panelist: Mindy Henderson, MDA Director and Editor-in-Chief of Quest Content

Topics to be covered:

• • Focus on mental health awareness and advocacy for people living with neuromuscular diseases
  • Tips and strategies for maintaining good mental health and having a positive support system
  • Understanding the impact of living with a neuromuscular disease on mental health
  • Mental health community resources
  • Mental Health resources at MDA Care Centers

Why:

In recognition of World Mental Health Day on October 10, we will promote this upcoming event on social media and raise awareness and support for mental health within the neuromuscular disease community. Fear and anxiety about a new disease such as COVID-19, and what could happen, continue to be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Finding healthy ways to cope and establishing positive supports is critical.

Sponsors:

MDA thanks our sponsors Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America.

Bios:

Moderator: Justin Moy, MDA Alumni National Ambassador, student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Justin Moy is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) pursuing a combined bachelor and master's degree in bioinformatics and computational biology. He was born with merosin deficient congenital muscular dystrophy and served as MDA National Ambassador from 2018 through 2019 and remains an active advocate. Justin has served on numerous executive boards of his school's extracurricular activities and currently serves on the Undergraduate Arts and Sciences Student Advisory Council. Outside of school, he enjoys drinking tea and playing piano.

Panelists:

Mary Holt-Paolone, RN, MS, CPLC, Mental Health Nurse, MDA/ALS Center of Hope at Temple University
Mary Holt-Paolone is a Registered Nurse and has a master's degree in Counseling Psychology, with a specialty in psychological trauma. She has been a psychotherapist working with varying populations since 2005, is a trained Mindfulness Meditation Instructor, Certified Professional Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, and has been consulting with various groups on stress management for the past 10 years. Mary has worked with the MDA/ALS Center of Hope since 2005 supporting individuals living with ALS and their families.

Mindy Henderson, Editor-in-Chief, Quest, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Mindy Henderson is a motivational speaker, writer, Editor-in-Chief of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Quest publications including a quarterly magazine, podcast, blog, and newsletter. Mindy is the host of the MDA's "Quest" podcast, host of "The Truth About Things That Suck" podcast, guest contributor of "Morning Motivations" on CBS Austin's "We Are Austin" lifestyle morning show and was named an "Austin Woman to Watch" in the May 2021 issue of Austin Woman Magazine's annual "Women to Watch" issue. After a 20-year career in high-tech, Mindy shifted her focus toward helping others realize their potential. Driven to build a world that welcomes and includes EVERYONE, Mindy advocates for universal design in air travel, architecture, and fashion. Her upcoming book, also titled The Truth About Things That Suck, examines those universal things in life that "suck" for ALL of us, intertwining a variety of her own personal stories of learning to travel hard roads, lessons she learned along the way and how you can apply those lessons to your own life. Mindy helps others see how to live more productively and positively. Her mission is to inspire people to understand that when they take responsibility, stop making excuses and OWN their adversity, they become stronger people and true potential is revealed.

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA’s COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.