A new program is starting up for Portage la Prairie and surrounding rural areas to bring support for those battling multiple sclerosis.

Ron Decaire is the chairperson for the new group and says when his family learned their daughter had MS, there weren't any local support options. He says you have to drive to Brandon or Winnipeg to get that support, and after a long day, that's going to create stress and fatigue. He says that creates problems for people dealing with MS.

"What we want to do is reduce that stress and reduce that fatigue and provide programs and resources here for people with MS, not just for our daughter, but we've met so many other people with the same situation," says Decaire. "Why not create a group that can help them out?"

As a result, the Portage and Rural MS Support group was founded.

Ron Decaire presents at group's first meeting.The group will be looking for feedback from the community to figure out what sort of programs they should work toward creating. Some examples include rides to appointments, fitness options like yoga, swimming and Tai Chi, as well as various webinars and presentations. Decaire says they are not ruling out raising money for research, medical equipment and home care.

He knows the first step is to get information out there regarding the group.

"That's the problem. I think people with MS and the caregivers don't know where to go," says Decaire. "You have the MS Society, you can look it up online, that's great, and they've been a big help for people. But, to have a place to go to talk with other people who are dealing with the same issues? That's not here right now."

The group held their first meeting Wednesday night where a cheque of $4,000 was donated from the Festival of Trees to get the ball rolling. He knows in order to get more donations, they will need a charitable number and that's being worked on as we speak. They are looking to apply to become a member of the United Way, and also to apply to a number of community foundations.

They are slowly building up their online presence. You can check out their website here, their Facebook page here, or send them an e-mail to portageruralms@gmail.com for more information.