April 10, 2024
By: Katherine Trowbridge
A bunch of people will be heading to Spokane this weekend to walk in support of local Franklin County residents who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). The one/three mile MS walk will take place in North Spokane beginning at Spokane Falls Community College (3410 W. Whistalks Way, Spokane). There is still time to sign up to participate. You can do so throught the National MS Society at: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1725
A number of people in our communities suffer from this debilitating disease. Those affected by MS include: Patti Walker, Judy Olberding, Geneva Lyle (now in Arkansas), Judy Fox, Bob Vanderbilt, and now his granddaughter Maddie Mauseth. Bill Harder, who recently passed away, also lived with the disease.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown, but we do know that something triggers the immune system to attack the CNS. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Everyone’s experience with MS is different and these losses may be temporary or long lasting.
You can donate to MS research and support these local community members at Ed Poe Agency (103 S. Columbia Ave, Connell) or through the National MS Society online at: https://secure.nationalmssociety.org/site/Donation2?df_id=65831&65831.donation=form1&s_src=dmp-fy23-HOM-don-cpc&s_subsrc=SEM-General-Headline&utm_source=SEM&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dmp-fy23-HOM-don&utm_content=General-Headline&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8diwBhAbEiwA7i_sJSYY226iKhybpsUA4wY9G71x5CjQV7N3qR8XtHL0O2xVpeB-ubftOhoC3tcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds