BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the National MS Society has announced this year’s recipients of its annual Scholarship Program. Caitlin Drummond of Fairhope was among the 27 scholarship winners.

The scholarship program helps students affected by multiple sclerosis pursue a college or technical school education. It is open to high school seniors who live with MS or have a parent who does; or anybody living with MS who has not yet been to a post-secondary school.

In addition to the emotional toll, MS can have a substantial financial impact on a family. The direct and indirect costs of MS, including lost wages — even for those with health insurance — are estimated at more than $70,000 annually per household. This makes funding a college education that much harder.

“Multiple Sclerosis is not a friend to our family,” Drummond wrote in her scholarship application essay. “It causes my mom tremendous pain and keeps her from doing many things that she wants to do… The only positive thing about MS is that it has opened my eyes to how resilient my mom is. MS made my mom even more an inspiration than she already was and that is really saying something.”

Program Continues To Grow Across the Country: The Society established its scholarship program eleven years ago, and it immediately became a source of great encouragement for families concerned that MS might put college out of reach. This year, over $1.1 million in awards was presented to over 700 new and renewal recipients nationwide. Applications are evaluated on financial need, academic record, leadership and volunteer activities, a statement of educational and career goals, and letters of recommendation. Applicants are also asked to provide a personal statement describing the impact MS has had on their life. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000 and typically cover one year, although a limited number of awards may exceed this amount.

“For the Drummond family and the hundreds of thousands diagnosed with MS across the country, there are very few known sources of scholarship assistance specially targeted for these families,” said Chapter President Jan Bell. “MS shouldn’t stand in the way of an education, and we are hopeful this program will give families some relief.”

Information about scholarships for the 2015-16 school year will be available on the National MS Society Web site on Oct. 1. For more information, call 1-800-344-4867 or click here.