"Paul and the Secret Loose Connections" a children's book by Roche and Temedica to help kids understand multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis explained in a child-friendly way: Roche and Temedica publish children's book "Paul and the Secret Loose Connections"

A new children's book that helps young readers understand what multiple sclerosis (MS) means when mother, father, friends or relatives are affected. "Paul and the Secret Loose Connections" was published jointly by Roche and Temedica and presented for the first time at this year's annual meeting of the German Society of Neurology (DGN) in Berlin.

The illustrated story is designed to foster understanding, empathy, and openness in families who come into contact with MS. Through the curious eyes of the boy Paul, readers learn what happens in the body when nerve signals are not working properly and how doctors, highly effective medication, and physiotherapy can help. Complex neurological processes are explained with warmth and humor and brought to life through clear, child-friendly images. These visuals help children relate to the experience and make sense of it in their own way. 

"The fundamental question was: How do you explain something as complex as multiple sclerosis to children without frightening them and without getting bogged down in technical jargon? Our answer: with loose connections. In our story, there are lots of colorful cables in the body that carry messages back and forth. When the protective sheath around these cables breaks, loose connections occur: signals sometimes arrive, sometimes don't, sometimes are delayed, sometimes are jumbled up. This is exactly what our main character experiences, making MS symptoms tangible for children without having to dramatize them. This book combines both in a wonderful way—it helps families talk about MS in a natural and reassuring way," says Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen, head of the MS Center at Dresden University Hospital, who contributed his medical expertise to the project.

The fact that medicine, digital health and patient participation can jointly develop accessible educational offerings is impressively demonstrated by the close cooperation on this book - between Prof. Dr. Tjalf Ziemssen, Temedica and the patient community of trotz ms.

Gloria Seibert, founder and CEO of Temedica, adds: "With this initiative, we want to make complex health topics understandable and approachable - especially for the youngest target groups. History shows that knowledge and empathy can go hand in hand."

Empathy meets education

The publication continues the joint mission of Roche and Temedica to strengthen the understanding of people with multiple sclerosis and their families. After the book presentation at the Roche Symposium at the DGN Congress, the book will now be available to order as a free offer via the patient campaign on trotz ms.

The charmingly illustrated and scientifically sound story by Kathrin Boll builds a bridge between everyday family life and medical understanding. Their goal: to make conversations about MS easier, gentler and more curious rather than fearful.

Availability

"Paul and the Secret Loose Connections" is now available, exclusively in  German. To request a free copy, please contact: info@trotz-ms.de 

Find out more at:

• TrotzMS - the information campaign for MS patients and relatives: www.trotz-ms.de 
• Brisa App - your digital companion for MS: brisa-app.de
• Roche: roche.de
• Temedica: temedica.com
  

About Roche Germany

Roche employs around 18,260 people in Germany in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics sectors. The company is represented at the three major sites in Mannheim (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care GmbH and Roche Diabetes Care Deutschland GmbH), Penzberg (Biotechnology Center, Roche Diagnostics GmbH) and Grenzach-Wyhlen (Roche Pharma AG), among others.

The focus is on the entire value chain of the two business units "Pharma" and "Diagnostics": from research and development to production, logistics to marketing and sales, with each location performing global tasks in addition to the German business. Roche is clearly committed to the German sites and has invested more than 5.7 billion euros in them over the past ten years.

For more information on Roche in Germany, please visit roche.de.

For inquiries about the company:

About Temedica

Temedica is a technology, AI and data-driven company that develops solutions and services for the pharmaceutical industry. Since 2016, Temedica has been supporting pharmaceutical companies in taking their brand performance to a new level through holistic strategies and targeted implementation. With the help of real-world insights, configurable AI-supported solutions and in-depth medical and commercial expertise, Temedica turns go-to-market challenges into measurable success.

Temedica is backed by a consortium of renowned investors with many years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including BioNTech's founding investors. Further information can be found at temedica.com