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MS Walk an inspiring event

While the Lakeland’s Jayman Built MS Walk has been taking place for 10 years now, Saturday’s walk seemed especially inspirational.

While the Lakeland’s Jayman Built MS Walk has been taking place for 10 years now, Saturday’s walk seemed especially inspirational. The rain and high winds of Friday made for an ugly day, and Saturday morning promised little better in terms of walking and running weather.

Despite that, St. Paul’s Recreation Centre was jam-packed by 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, with everyone seeming in good spirits and full of positive energy to begin walking and running in the rain. Everyone from children to seniors showed up, with each having a story or a reason to be there, their shirts announcing they were running for their mothers or fathers, brothers and sisters.

Canada has the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, and several people in the Lakeland region are afflicted with the disease, making it a personal cause to many. It’s the fact that it’s close to people’s hearts that has made the MS Walk one of the area’s favourite causes to get behind, and more than one person noted the Lakeland walk keeps shattering expectations, pushing on to the $1.5 million fundraising mark in its 10 years.

That’s a remarkable achievement, when there are so many worthwhile causes to support, and speaks to the passion and commitment of people who eat, breathe, sleep and live the cause of supporting people with MS and finding a cure, as northern regional director of the MS Society Johanna Green said. She also made note of the fact that cutting-edge stem cell research is showing promise for MS sufferers, with results of one study following participants for 10 years showing that the progression of MS could be “literally halted.”

But more than raising funds for programs, services and research, it’s eye-opening to see how much the simple fact of people gathering to walk can mean to those living with MS. That may be the reason Saturday provided so much inspiration, for people to tell those living with MS - “We are behind you, we walk for you, we will face this and we will beat this together.”




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