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MS Walk powers through rain at 10th anniversary

With rain and wind forecast for Saturday’s 10th anniversary of Lakeland’s Jayman Built MS Walk, members of the organizing committee were feeling a little nervous about the rain possibly dampening turnout.
Ryan Songer, Kylee Lotoski and Grace Burton were three of the young participants in this year’s edition of the Lakeland MS Walk, held on Saturday in St. Paul.
Ryan Songer, Kylee Lotoski and Grace Burton were three of the young participants in this year’s edition of the Lakeland MS Walk, held on Saturday in St. Paul.

With rain and wind forecast for Saturday’s 10th anniversary of Lakeland’s Jayman Built MS Walk, members of the organizing committee were feeling a little nervous about the rain possibly dampening turnout.

But those fears were washed away quickly as by 10 a.m. on the day of the walk, St. Paul’s Recreation Centre would be packed with people of all ages, some bringing bikes, others bringing everything from running gear to wheelchairs to leg braces. Throughout the morning, close to 500 people ran and walked the various routes, all in support of those living with multiple sclerosis.

“I think despite the weather factor, we had the most exceptional walk. I don’t even have a word to describe it. It’s always an amazing experience,” said Brenda Rosychuk, organizer and manager of the Lakeland Region’s MS Society office. She expressed amazement at the fact that more people seemed to come out for this year’s walk even than last year, with $125,000 raised of the $136,000 goal. However, with funds continuing to be collected until the end of July, Rosychuk said organizers were feeling confident they would meet their goal.

During her speech on Saturday morning, Rosychuk noted those who were gathered should be thankful they could be there to walk, as not everyone could as they fought the battle with MS.

“Let’s fight with our feet today and let’s find a cure,” she told the audience.

Tammy Ganser was one of those people who could appreciate the gift of being able to participate.

Ganser was diagnosed with MS in 2015, her symptoms causing such difficult double vision in the past that it made it nearly impossible for her to walk. While she wasn’t able to attend last year’s event, this year, she was the inspiration for a giant group of Glendon-area supporters, who came out to support Ganser, who is president of the Glendon Minor Hockey Association. The Tammy’s Comets team raised about $3,000 in fundraising for MS Walk and for Ganser, who was hard-pressed to form a response to their support.

“I can’t talk about it, because I’m going to bawl,” she said, shaking her head and holding back tears. But looking around the full Recreation Centre, she described the fact that so many people came out to this year’s walk as “awesome . . . it just gives me hope.”

As this was the 10th year of the walk, a little bit of history was shared with those in attendance on Saturday morning.

St. Paul’s Gail Plouffe talked about her own struggles with MS, and how in the beginning, she struggled to feed herself and how she couldn’t even lift a spoon. She was finally diagnosed with the disease that has afflicted an estimated 100,000 other Canadians, with Canada having the highest rate of MS in the world. Following her diagnosis, she and a few friends talked about starting a walk to raise awareness about MS.

The Lakeland’s first walk, held in 2008 in St. Paul, ended up bringing out 246 participants, whom together, raised an entirely unexpected and remarkable $48,000, far beyond the goal of $11,000.

“From that moment on, this community shattered expectations,” said Johanna Green, northern regional director of the MS Society, who noted that the St. Paul walk – which draws participants from all across the region, from Cold Lake to Wainwright – is now pushing the $1.5 million fundraising mark.

She gave credit to Rosychuk and Corinne Lotoski, who is the office’s advocacy and equipment fundraising coordinator, for their commitment to the walk, saying, “These women live, breathe and sleep for this cause.”

Lotoski is herself a perennial top fundraiser, this year, raising $15,000 for the cause.

Green made note of cutting edge stem cell research, and mentioned how results of a 10-year study showed that MS was “literally halted” for 23 of 24 participants in a clinical trial that saw them receive aggressive treatment, including bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy.

“It is real reason to hope,” she said of the new research being done.

Funds raised go towards the MS Society’s programs and services, as well as research, and that is a major driving force for the walk, every year.

“It takes about 10 months to plan the entire event, and just to see it come together on walk day, it such a good feeling to know we’re making such a big difference in the lives of those living with MS,” said Rosychuk. “We want to extend a huge thank you to all our participants, our donors, our supporters, our sponsors – we could not have done it without you. This walk would not happen without you.”

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