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Morris County proclaims Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week; resident and sheriff share personal remarks
Summary
At a March work session, the Morris County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed March 8–14 as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. Resident advocate Craig Komiak and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon offered personal remarks about living with and losing a family member to MS and urged continued research and community support.
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners on a March work session proclaimed March 8–14 as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week and heard personal remarks from a longtime advocate and the county sheriff.
The board’s chair introduced the proclamation, noting that multiple sclerosis affects nearly 1,000,000 Americans and that local organizations such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society continue to lead research and family-support efforts. The proclamation invited Craig Komiak, a Chester Township resident and co-chair of the Northwest New Jersey Community Council for the Metro New Jersey chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon to accept the county’s recognition.
Craig Komiak, who the chair identified as a longtime advocate and volunteer, described living with MS for 34 years and urged earlier recognition and treatment. “MS is a disease that many people have heard of, but few truly understand until it touches their lives,” Komiak said, adding that symptoms range from numbness and foot drop to vision loss and cognitive changes. He told commissioners early diagnosis and timely therapy can slow progression and called for continued investment in research and community support.
Sheriff James Gannon thanked Komiak and the advocates and spoke about his personal loss. “It’s a touching time for me to stand up here; 16 years ago my wife passed from [MS],” Gannon said, praising ongoing advances in treatment and pledging the sheriff’s office’s support for awareness and related events. He presented a certificate alongside the board’s proclamation.
The presentation concluded with brief audience comments of appreciation and a plan for photographs before the meeting moved on to commissioner reports.
