In a change of pace from last Sunday’s inaugural half marathon, Tuscaloosa will host its fourth annual Walk MS event Saturday, and hundreds of people will walk one to three miles to raise funds to study and fight multiple sclerosis and support people living with the disease.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website, the disease is chronic, attacks the central nervous system and is often disabling.
“The point of Walk MS is to raise awareness and funds for the Multiple Sclerosis, but it’s also an event to support those living with MS,” Amanda Burton, the event coordinator, said.
About 4,100 Alabama residents have MS, according to the group’s website. It’s free to participate in the event, which is sponsored by the Alabama-Mississippi chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, but donations are encouraged. The money will be used to fund research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for programs and services for people living with MS, emergency financial assistance for people affected and scholarships for freshmen who have MS or a parent or guardian with the illness, Burton said.
Kelsey Weiss, a committee member for MS walk, said her dad was diagnosed with MS when she was eight. She said he used to play golf and run every day, but is now barely able to get through his normal day.
“Fundraising was a way to have some control over the disease that’s taking things away from him,” Weiss said.
Tuscaloosa resident Robin Jones was diagnosed with MS in 2007. The illness has left Jones unable to sit or walk for long periods of time.
“The biggest problems for me, besides the awful fatigue that it causes, is how everybody else treats me,” Jones said. “It changes the dynamic of your relationship with your children, your spouse and your friends. People almost treat you like you’re their elderly grandmother or they just quit calling you because they don’t want to deal with the fact that you have to sit down. It affects all areas of your life.”
Jones said she struggled with her diagnosis in the beginning, but she is using this event as an opportunity to turn her harsh reality into something positive.
“I decided that giving back would be that positive thing I could do,” she said.
The event includes three walking routes, which start at Snow Hinton Park and are one, two and three miles long. People can do the walk individually or in teams. Participants who earn at least $100 will earn a Walk MS t-shirt.
Mark Barry, a graduate student working toward his MFA in painting and sculpture, was diagnosed with remitting relapsing multiple sclerosis in the summer of 2011. He will walk with his family and his team, Tuscaloosa Jazzercise.
“With RRMS, most of the time, there are just a few lingering symptoms that are always present. Then there are times when the disease flares up and things can be much more intense,” Barry said. “For me, the last major flare up affected the right side of my body. Now, my right side is a bit weaker than my left and I have a slight limp sometimes when I get tired.”
“For the most part, however, I’m extremely lucky and have very little that affect my daily life. There are moments of fatigue or balance issues, but they are not always present for me right now,” Barry said.
The event will also includes face painting, food, and a performance by Festival Expressions, a rock band from Alabama. People interested in registering for the walk can visit alkalc.nationalmssociety.org or register at Snow Hinton Park at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 10 a.m.
If You Go:
What: Walk MS
When: Saturday, March 9, registration at 9 a.m.
Where: Snow Hinton Park
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