Woman driven to help others with MS

Saturday symposium is evolved version of resident's brainchild

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Every hour, someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system for which there is no cure.

The condition will be addressed during the Nina Davenport MS Symposium & Information Fair, slated for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Alexis Park Resort, 375 E. Harmon Ave.

Keynote speakers are Dr. Jack S. Burks of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and Dr. Dean M. Wingerchuk of the Mayo Clinic of Scottsdale, Ariz. In addition, more than 20 vendors representing pharmaceutical companies, home health agencies, social services, attorneys and physical therapists will participate in the information fair. The symposium is free to those whose lives are affected by MS.

The woman behind the symposium, Nina Davenport, is well-known in the MS community. Before her diagnosis, Davenport enjoyed a long career in broadcasting, having grown up around it.

Her father was in radio. His name was Bob Hope and he had a popular radio show. When she'd tell people that, they'd ask if her dad was "the Bob Hope" and she'd assure them that he was.

"I didn't know why they thought I was lying to them," she said.

Davenport had her first radio show when she was 13 and was always involved in the field in one capacity or another from then on.

She arrived in Las Vegas 30 years ago with her husband, Joe, who was in the United States Air Force. They moved here from Turkey after Joe was reassigned to Nellis Air Force Base.

Davenport didn't learn she had MS until a stroke put her in the hospital about 18 years ago. That's when the lesions showed up on a brain scan.

Davenport calls herself "one of the lucky ones," as her symptoms didn't impede her life for a long time. She began volunteering with the MS Society about 14 years ago. Eight years into it, she established a support group, allowing attendees to compare notes and share anecdotal information that helped them. Besides her upbeat attitude at those meetings, Davenport said she also was known for her Alabama accent.

"They called me the Mouth of the South," she said. "I think it was because I talked so much."

She eventually went to work for the MS Society as the program coordinator. She had a part in setting up the aquatics program for MS patients and ensured it was funded. She organized an annual Christmas party and worked the MS Walk year after year. She also began the symposium that has evolved into the event to be held this weekend. Its sponsor, the Nevada Neuroscience Foundation, decided to name it after her.

Karla Jay, director of the foundation, said Davenport devotes herself to informing others and educating them, even finding ways to help them pay for the exorbitant costs of MS drugs, which run about $1,400 a month.

"Nina has used her experience with this disease in a manner that inspires others with multiple sclerosis to live their lives knowing that all things are still possible; life is not over," said Jay. "Her actions remind us all of our responsibility to each other to be kind, supportive and understanding. We all have hurdles to overcome in our lives, and the warmth and caring of another individual can make these hurdles much easier to overcome."

Davenport's symposium -- at first called the MS Health and Information Fair -- was such a hit, it was given the Excellence in Programming Award from the National MS Society.

Davenport said she continues to volunteer in retirement, even as she struggles with the complications of her own illness.