A short history of World MS Day

We’ve celebrated some incredible World MS Day themes across the years. Here is a look back at our campaign history.  

2009

The very first year of World MS Day! The call to action was ‘Join the Global Movement. End MS’. The campaign film ‘Beautiful Day’ was launched this year, to help raise awareness of MS around the world.

2009 was also the first year that Lori Schneider – the first person with MS – climbed Mount Everest.

2010

The 2010 campaign focused on work and MS, with a focus on people affected by MS. The campaign saw the launch of a report looking at the economic impact of MS. These results were used as a promotional tool by MS organizations around the world.

2011

The theme for 2011 was work and MS, focusing on employers. The campaign looked at challenge that people with MS face in the workplace such as poor access and fixed hours.

2012

The 2012 theme living with MS encouraged the global MS community to tell the world what living with MS really means to them. People affected by MS shared their stories on postcards to raise awareness and show the impact of MS.

2013

The 2013 campaign focused on young people living well with MS. The campaign asked the global MS community to share a life motto about the future, identity or relationships that gave them strength.

2014

The 2014 theme (#onedayms2014) looked at access issues including physical access, access to treatments and access to equal rights and opportunities. The global MS community was encouraged to share their ‘One day wish’, expressing hopes for equal access in the future.

2015

The 2015 theme was access and MS (#StrongerThanMS). The campaign looked at physical and social barriers to living with MS that were being challenged by the global MS community.

2016

The 2016 theme was independence (#StrongerThanMS). The campaign celebrated all the ways that people affected by MS could maintain independence through adaptations at work, support at home, lifestyle choices and more.

2017

The 2017 theme was life with MS (#LifewithMS). The campaign focused on quality of life and gave the global MS community an opportunity to advocate for quality care and share tips for living well with MS.

2018

The 2018 theme was research, and the campaign was called Bringing Us Closer (#BringingUsCloser). The campaign showcased the work of MS researchers and connected people involved with MS research to people affected by MS around the world.

2019

The 2019 theme was visibility and the campaign was called My Invisible MS (#MyInvisibleMS). The My Invisible MS campaign put MS in the spotlight and raised awareness of the invisible symptoms of MS and the unseen impact of MS on quality of life.

2020-2023

The 2020-2023 World MS Day theme is ‘connections’. MS Connections is all about building community connection, self-connection and connections to quality care. We are challenging social barriers that leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and socially isolated. Together, we advocate for better services, celebrate support networks and champion self-care.

In 2020 there 1377 Activities were recorded across 109 Counties. In 2021, World MS Day was celebrated across 117 countries – that’s incredible!  We cannot wait to make 2022 another year to remember. Click here to learn how you can take part this year.