Alana George, Campus Carrier Asst. Arts & Living Editor
The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society is hosting a Walk MS event at the Cage Center on Saturday. The walk raises money for people affected by MS, and the walk Saturday is expected to raise $35,000.
According to a press release from the National MS Society, MS is a neurological disease that can cause disabilities in young adults, and affects more than 2.3 million worldwide.
“Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body,” the press release said. “Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.”
Walk MS is the largest gathering in the MS movement, and it is the 10th largest nonprofit walk series in the U.S. with around 400 events nationwide, according to the National MS Society. It has raised more than $1 billion since it was founded in 1988 for research and services to affected families. It is an opportunity for those with MS or those who know people affected by MS to come together for this cause. MS patients who participate in the walks receive a free Living with MS T-shirt and can connect with others living with MS to demonstrate the power of the movement, according to the Walk MS fact sheet.
“Walk MS is an opportunity for passionate people to come together with friends, loved ones and co-workers to fundraise, connect and advocate for people affected by MS,” the PR manager from the National MS Society said. “Each dollar raised is one step closer to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s goal – a world free of MS.”
To register for the walk, visit walkMS.org or email fundraisingsupport@nmss.org. Registration begins on Saturday at 9 a.m.