MS Fundraiser Needs Your Help

The Heat Magazine is a huge supporter of various charities, especially ones that bring to the forefront awareness of crippling health issues, such as Multiple Sclerosis. The Heat Magazine’s friend, Wes, will be taking part in the Walk MS Dallas on April 2, 2011. We support Wes’ fundraising efforts and ask that you do so as well.

Wes tells us that he is undertaking the effort to help his friend Stephanie and all who are affected by the disease known as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Wes related Stephanie’s story to us and it really helped to put a human face on MS.

MS is an upredictable and debilitative disease that interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. Symptoms can include numbness, tingling, blindness, and paralysis. Over 400,000 people are affected by the disease. Advances in research and treatment have been made possible from funds raised in events such as the MS walk and the need for donations continues so that research and treatment advances can continue to be made.

Here’s what Wes had to say:

“The Dallas, Texas 2011 Walk MS is presented by Subway and will be at the Addison Circle Park. The proceeds from the event support the mission of eradicating MS. When Stephanie first told me she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I had to have her explain it to me. Steph told me she has Relapsing-Remitting MS. I asked her what symptoms of MS she was experiencing. She told me fatigue was one of the worst. She told me a number of different symptoms could happen at any time and there was not much she could do about it. I felt helpless. I asked her how and what she doing to help treat MS. She told me her neurologist had initially prescribed her a medication, Rebif, in a form of injection. She then had to be taken off of it because it was messing with her liver. The neurologist then prescribed another medication, Copaxone, that has to be injected daily. Taking a shot everyday sucks. Then she told me even the medication had side effects too. It causes her skin to welp up and itch like crazy. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. MS in general is extremely tedious and painful to deal with on a daily basis. One of the last times I spoke with Stephanie, she informed me that her most recent MRI results showed that she had no new lesions and that the previous lesions have shrunk two millimeters! Stephanie told me when she was initially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 2008, her heart was definitely destroyed because all of her life she had relied upon God and for that to happen, broke her heart. She keeps faith in God’s greater plan and knows a wounded heart will heal. She keeps pushin’ even though she is affected by MS. She is a superhero. She saves teeth everyday in Dallas as a registered dental hygienist and she’s a highly intelligent young lady with a very good heart. She is an amazing person and I would do anything in my power to help her. So I joined the movement to support her and started making donations to the National MS Society. You can help out by joining the movement and making a donation too! Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.”

Wes brought Stephanie’s own story to The Heat Magazine:

“Multiple Sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. It’s unpredictable and often disabling. Symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. As some of you may know I am one of the 400,000 people that are affected by this disease. August 16, 2008, marks the day of my first symptoms of MS, numbness from my neck to my toes. October 24, 2008, after multiple MRI’s, blood work and a spinal tap, I was finally diagnosed with this disease. After almost five months of numbness, I was finally completely back to normal. Over the past 3 years I have endured physical, mental, emotion and spiritual battles, but one thing I do know… God is faithful. Although I haven’t had numbness since my initial attack, I still battle day to day with other effects, the most difficult one being fatigue. Being diagnosed with MS is definitely life changing. Although my main thoughts are not consumed by it, in the back of my mind I can’t help but think – when I wake up tomorrow will I feel normal or will I be numb? Will I be able to walk or even hold a pen? It’s been very trying at times, but I have many wonderful people in my life who give me strength and pick me up when I need it most. To all of you, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our mission is to join the movement, to keep our movement. We can help impact so many lives just by sponsoring. The funding for research is paying off all the time. Recently the FDA approved a new treatment for MS in a pill form, I for one am sooo excited!! The thought of not having to take daily shots for the rest of my life gives me hope.

Research in MS is progressing at a remarkable rate, with more potential therapies in the pipeline than at any other time in history. The National MS Society is a driving force of MS research, supporting and stimulating world-class research into ways to prevent, better treat and cure this unpredictable disease of the brain and spinal cord. Learn how far we’ve come, where we’re going and what the Society and others are doing to move toward a world free of MS. I’m walking to create a world free of multiple sclerosis, and you can join me in the movement by sponsoring these efforts. The money that we raise together will not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also provide programs which address the daily challenges of people living with MS today. Across the Lone Star Chapter this year, the Walk MS series is striving to raise at least $1.5 million, but it takes the commitment and dedication of thousands of Texans to make that a reality. Any amount you can contribute does make a difference.”

Make sure to click on this link to donate to Wes’ efforts to fight MS:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=8170929&fr_id=15181&pg=personal