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MS Walk 2002

Multiple Sclerosis is an insidious disease. It can attack suddenly or it can creep up gradually, almost unnoticed for several years, and its effects can range from mildly inconvenient to devastating.

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune/neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheathing around nerve tissues of the central nervous system, meaning the brain and spinal chord. Nerve signals from the extremities — hands, eyes, legs, skin — are often lost in transit to the brain or misinterpreted upon receipt; nerve signals from the brain to the extremities often suffer the same fate. MS creates a myriad of symptoms that vary from person to person. These symptoms include limb tremors, extreme fatigue, double vision, temporary or permanent blindness, speech and swallowing difficulties, cognitive deficits, bowel and bladder problems, lack of balance and coordination, and difficulty or inability to walk.

Multiple Sclerosis is progressive, although its progression can occur very slowly or extremely rapidly. Some people may experience attacks and then go into remission for months or even years. Others can go from initial diagnosis to requiring a wheelchair in a very short time. There is no cure for MS, though several drug treatments have been introduced in the past few years. Initial tests indicate these drugs may help slow down the progression of the disease, but no drug at present can stop it altogether.

There is no known cause of MS, though there are several known correlations. Most people affected by the disease are from Northern European stock, and most live at northern latitudes. In the United States, for example, MS affects one in every 800 residents in Colorado while only one in every 10,000 residents in Texas. Seventy-three percent of its victims are women. MS attacks young adults, with most diagnoses occurring between the ages of twenty and forty. With numbers like that, many of us in Western Colorado know someone living with MS.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is the organization most people with MS turn to for support and advice in dealing with the disease. The MS Society is a non-profit organization that acts as an advocate for those with MS. The Colorado Chapter of the National MS Society has a Western Slope office in Grand Junction that offers services to the more than 600 people in Western Colorado with MS. These services include support groups for those with MS and their families, educational programs, workshops and courses, and a free monthly medical clinic conducted by local neurologist Dr. Mitchell Burnbaum.

Of course, all these services cost money, and almost all the money received by the MS Society is raised through special events such as the MS Walk. Seventy-seven percent of the revenues of the Colorado Chapter are raised through such special events, with the rest coming from memberships, contributions, and bequests.

The 2002 MS Walk will be held in twelve locations in Colorado. Last year the Colorado MS Walks raised $1,036,000. Forty-five percent of the money raised by the Colorado Chapter of the MS Society is used for programs in Colorado; thirty-two percent is used for medical research and national programs; nineteen percent is used for fund raising; and only four percent is used for administration. The MS Walk in Grand Junction will be held May 11 at 9:00 a.m., starting at the Botanical Gardens at 7th Street and Struthers. Priscilla Mangnall, Western Slope Development Coordinator for the Colorado Chapter of the National MS Society, hopes more than 200 walkers will participate in the Grand Junction event. The walk will take place along the Colorado River Trail. Walkers, who collect pledges before the event, can walk as individuals or in teams. Many local businesses have generously pledged donations, including Main Street Bagels, City Market, and Sam’s Club, which have agreed to provide breakfast, and the Southwest Academy of Natural Therapies, which will be offering brief massages for the walkers after the event.

If you would like to participate in this year’s MS Walk, or if you would like to volunteer or make a pledge, please call Priscilla Mangnall at 241-9329 or at 1-800-371-2667. You can also sign up online at www.fightmscolorado.org.