Thousands walk to raise funds for the thousands coping with multiple sclerosis

“I must have slept funny,” 40-year-old Michelle Lajoie thought when she first experienced numbness in her left arm eleven years ago. But then the same tingling sensation traveled to her leg and she began to wonder if her extreme fatigue could be more than exhaustion from chasing around her two young boys, Alex and Jacob, then just 3 and 6 years old. It was 18 months later, after countless doctors’ visits and tests, that Michelle finally learned the reason for her symptoms; she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, debilitating disease.

Since there is no specific test for MS, a diagnosis is often overlooked, delayed, or sometimes, incorrect. “Putting a name to my symptoms gave me a weird sense of validation after more than a year of frustration. I knew that my body was trying to tell me something,” says Michelle. A young adult in her twenties when diagnosed, she would now have to depend on her grandmother to take her to medical appointments, and would soon need the support of her entire family unit.

Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Although children as young as two years have been diagnosed with MS, onset typically occurs in adults between ages 20 to 50. MS interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body with symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Sometimes the signals sent out by the brain don’t travel to the rest of the body. In the early stages of her disease, Michelle says she experienced a loss of sensation. “I frequently burned myself because I just didn’t feel hot and cold anymore,” she notes.

The progression, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in an individual is still unpredictable, but the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is working to find answers through funded research. Local divisions, including the Mid Florida Chapter (founded in 1958), also strive to help those living with this disease through support groups, education, and workshops.

It was at a local conference hosted by the organization that Michelle first became inspired to adopt a positive attitude, despite her progressing physical disabilities. “I met an outgoing person with MS who was wheelchair-bound. Her incredible personality gave me hope for the future,” comments Michelle, who now must rely on a wheelchair to get around. She’s learned to ‘save her steps’ so she can conserve her energy. Those difficult decisions help her to continue attending the activities of her two (now high school aged) sons. “I’ll keep going as long as they let Mom go!”

One activity the Lajoie family participates in together is the annual Walk MS, a benefit to raise funds for scientific research and programs associated with the disease. Michelle says she felt compelled to start a team immediately after learning her diagnosis, and now, ten years later, the ‘Michelle’s Mission’ team continues to be a family affair. “I am most thankful for the walkers who don’t have a personalconnection but simply want to help those of us who do,” Michelle says. The event offers a platform to connect with others while contributing to research that could directly impact the lives of the estimated 73,000 people in Mid Florida affected by the disease, including family, caregivers, and employers. The MS Society’s Mid-Florida region will host eight community walks this spring. Over a thousand supporters are expected to participate in the Orlando event at Lake Eola on March 10, 2012 with the goal of raising over $136,000.

Michelle’s favorite event, hosted by the MS Society, is Day of Discovery at Seaworld. “My boys get to have fun in the park while my husband, James, and I attend seminars and meet experts in the field of MS.”

Many questions regarding risk factors for the disease still exist, including how environment and genetics can trigger its onset. Michelle was the first in her family to be diagnosed with MS. Although a direct correlation is still unknown, her sister had previously been diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, another autoimmune disease. While the average person in the United States has about a 1 in 750 chance of developing MS, the risk for a person who has a parent or sibling with MS increases to about 1 in 40. To learn more about MS, start a walk team, or donate to ‘Michelle’s Mission’, visit www.nationalmssociety.org.

MS FACTS:

• MS is the No.1 disabling disease among young adults in the U.S.
• MS affects more than 400,000 people in the United States, and 2.5 million worldwide.
• The average annual cost of living with MS exceeds $57,000 per person with a lifetime costs of more than $3.7 million.
• Every hour in the U.S., someone is newly diagnosed with MS.
• Twice as many women than men have MS.
• MS is more common among Caucasians.