Nov. 9 marks the fourth year the Multiple Sclerosis Society will host a one mile and 5k walk at the UH campus to raise awareness and funds for MS research.
“We have a great relationship with the MS Eye Clinic located in the UH College of Optometry,” said Cammy Hazim, development manager of the Walk MS/National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “With its central location and beautiful campus, having the walk here made perfect sense.”
Registration is free and no pledge commitment is required. The average walker raises $225 to support research initiatives, programs and services of the Society. Seventy-eight cents of every dollar raised goes to funding research and programs for people living with MS. The South Central region has raised more than $7.4 million in the fight to end MS.
“Many people who come out to our walk are newly diagnosed,” Hazim said. “I get so many comments about how they feel connected to others living with MS and how they feel supported and less alone. We truly are making a difference in the lives of people living with MS.”
Of the walk’s $196,000 goal, 78 percent has already been raised – a total of $152,655. The four Houston-area Walk MS events plan to raise more than $534,000 altogether.
Currently, 2.3 million people are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide. Sufferers of MS experience different symptoms depending on how mild or severe their case is, but for most, MS is a debilitating and unpredictable disease that attacks healthy tissue in the central nervous system and leads to difficulty with mobility, altered sensation and overwhelming fatigue. Currently, about 22,000 Texans are living with MS with no cure in sight.
The National MS Society is trying to change this. Through fundraising walks and bicycle races, the Society has reached across the nation in garnering support for the cause. The South Central Region has worked with the Houston community for 15 years.
“The camaraderie and energy you feel on walk day is what I look forward to,” Hazim said. “More than 80 percent of our walk participants have a direct connection to MS. We are all there for the same reason – to find a cure and support someone we care about that is living with MS.”
The walk begins at 9 a.m. and will feature live entertainment and refreshments before and after the event. Online registration is still open at www.walkmstexas.org. Registration is also available on site Sunday morning from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
