Medically Reviewed by Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD
Finding the perfect gift for your friend with MS makes both of you feel good! Getty Images
Buying gifts is tough. Do you choose something practical or fun? Should you go with a safe gift purchase or something the recipient wouldn’t buy for themselves? And if the person you’re buying for has multiple sclerosis (MS), how can you make sure the gift is spot-on?
“Gift-buying for a friend or loved one with MS can be quite simple, but you should always consider how honest they are with you about their symptoms,” says Aaron Nicka, an occupational therapist at the Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in Ohio.
Someone who is open about having trouble with a certain task might appreciate a tool or gadget that is obviously an “adaptive” device, while a person who is more private about MS and its effects would likely prefer a gadget that could make life easier for anyone but isn’t specifically aimed at people with disabilities.
If you do buy a gift that’s intended to help with a complication of MS, think about who else will be there when the gift is opened. And if you think there’s a chance your friend or relative might feel embarrassed opening your gift in front of others, present it when the two of you are alone, or have it delivered, so no one else is present when the gift is opened.
Of course, even a person who is open about his MS symptoms may prefer to receive gifts that have nothing to do with MS. So keep your loved one’s hobbies, interests, and activities in mind when you’re gift shopping — along with his abilities. A shirt with tiny buttons isn’t a great gift for someone with fine motor control problems, even if it’s in his favorite color.
Most of all, be sure the gift is about the recipient as he is, and not about how you would like the recipient to be. Giving a gym membership to someone who doesn’t like to exercise or a vegetarian cookbook to someone who enjoys meat isn’t likely to go over well. For special occasions, give gifts you think your loved one with MS will really like.
To ease gift-giving woes, Nicka and a few people with MS share some ideas for good — even great — gifts.