Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 16, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 17 SPONSORED CONTENT Continued > Trailblazer (noun) One that blazes a trail to guide others For many years, trial and error was the name of the game in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). But over the last two decades, a great deal of progress has been made in understanding MS and treating the many challenges associated with this disease. And it was those daily challenges that led to the creation of The Joyce D. and Andrew J. Mandell Center for Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Care and Neuroscience Research at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford. In its first 10 years, the MS center has become a global leader in MS care, developing a comprehensive approach with state-of-the-art treatments, ground-breaking research and innovative rehabilitation programs. The Mandell Center had a serendipitous, yet deeply personal start. Founded in 2008 as a collaborative effort between the Connecticut Chapter of the National MS Society, the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, and Joyce and Andy Mandell, its seed was inconspicuously planted in 2000, when Andy Mandell was diagnosed with MS. For patients with MS, the immune system attacks the myelin, a fatty white substance surrounding many nerve fibers. Essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system, damages to the myelin disrupt the speed at which electrical impulses are conducted from the brain to the rest of the body, causing debilitating symptoms that can include paralysis, vision loss and speech difficulties. There is no known cure for MS, and existing treatments focus on the management of symptoms. With Andy's ability to walk severely compromised, the prognosis was discouraging. "There really wasn't much treatment on the market," he explains, "and doctors kept telling me the condition was likely to progress and would eventually get worse." Andy's wife Joyce adds, "All of the information was really negative. The doctors said 'live with it, walk as much as you can, we'll see you next year when you can't.'" After visiting several specialists around the country and always getting the same grim prognosis, good friend Lisa Gerrol, president of the Connecticut chapter of the National MS Society, told the Mandells about research being conducted by neurologist Dr. Albert Lo and Jennifer Ruiz at Yale. The two were interested in Andy's case. Soon Dr. Lo started working with Andy and introduced him to a robotic treadmill. Less than two years later, Andy had regained his gait pattern. As the future started to look a little brighter, the Mandells were determined to do everything in their power to help other people living with MS avoid the turmoil they had to go through after Andy's diagnosis. www.HartfordBusiness.com April 16, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 25 The Joyce D. and Andrew J. Mandell Center for Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Care and Neuroscience Research "The Mandells' vision of a comprehensive, all-inclusive and integrated approach to MS care is a reality." - Robert J. Krug, M.D., president of Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital " "The Mandells' " "The Mandells' „ reality." „ reality." The physician leadership team includes Robert J. Krug, M.D., president of Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital; Peter B. Wade, M.D., medical director for neurology; and Albert Lo, M.D., Ph.D., medical director for neuroscience research.

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