MS Society rallies support for awareness
The goal is to strive for a world free of multiple sclerosis, or MS, and to connect people who live with the disease and those who love them. The National MS Society will host the Walk MS: Shreveport 2014 event supporting the MS movement and research 8 a.m. April 12 at the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City. The community walk serves as an event to bring awareness, unity and fundraising to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis. According to the National MS Society, someone is newly diagnosed with MS every hour in the United States. Walk MS is the token event of the organization and funds raised go directly to supporting research and life-changing services to those living with and impacted by multiple sclerosis.
There are nearly 3,700 people who have been diagnosed with MS in Louisiana, and this year’s goal from Walk MS: Shreveport is to raise $51,000 from Shreveport-Bossier City sponsors, partners and participants. The national campaign has been walking since 1988 and has raised more than $770 million to aid in research and programs in the United States. The Shreveport event will give residents, friends and family the chance to rally in support for Louisiana families who live with the challenges of MS. The walk will be a one-mile event and participants can walk or run at their leisure, and every patron will receive an official Walk MS T-shirt while food and entertainment will also be offered before and after the event.
“This year we anticipate increased participation and funds as individuals and community members gather together to raise awareness for the MS movement,” Becky Pennington, vice president of development for Louisiana, said. “We could not accomplish our goals without the continued support of our volunteers and participants who are dedicated to moving forward for a world free of MS.”
According to the National MS Society, multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system. It causes a disruption to the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The cause of MS is still largely unknown and symptoms can be varied and experienced on a continuum of severity. Common symptoms include fatigue, numbness or tingling of the face, body or extremities, vision, bladder and bowel problems, cognitive and emotional changes, depression, walking difficulties, vertigo or dizziness, spasticity (or stiffness or involuntary muscle spasms), sexual problems and most significantly –pain.
For many with MS, the most debilitating symptom is chronic pain. Many of the symptoms can be managed with medication and rehabilitation, but further advances in treatment are still needed.
Carey Weeks, who will attend the Walk MS: Shreveport event with her walk team “Hope,” said that this function will be especially significant for her.
“The MS Walk 2014 will mark a milestone for me personally,” Weeks said. “I was diagnosed with MS last spring, so this will be a way to commemorate making it through this first year.”
Weeks said she had been unhappy with the lack of support groups in Shreveport for people with MS and her walk team name “Hope” is in reference to the chronic illness group she started at the Church for the Highlands that meets every month. For more information on the symptoms, treatment and support programs for those living with multiple sclerosis, visit www. nationalmssociety.org.
The money raised through the National MS Society Walk events go to research to find a cure for MS, but also to community programs that help facilitate support groups, provide educational materials, transportation to group meetings for whose who don’t have the means to get there, yoga and exercise classes, scholarships and even aid with rent and expenses for families struggling with medical bills due to MS. These kinds of programs and related multiple sclerosis research are funded through the donations and money raised by participants and partners of the Walk MS events. Online registration is currently open and participants can visit walklam. nationalmssociety.org to register to walk, volunteer or make a donation, or they may also register on-site at the Louisiana Boardwalk. There is no cost to register, and no minimum pledge required. Onsite registration and check-in will start at 7 a.m. and fundraising prizes will also be handed out to those starting at the $100 level. Walk MS: Shreveport 2014 aims to make big strides in the Shreveport-Bossier City community, bringing together the community and rallying for hope and change.
–Katie Ho
