Walkers brave weather for annual MS event

Through the sporadic rain showers Sunday afternoon, advocates for multiple sclerosis awareness continued to walk.

Walk MS is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's signature event in Southeast Missouri, and Sunday afternoon more than 250 people walked around Capaha Park to raise awareness and funding for disease research and support.

Organizer Sharon Hileman knew the rain would scare away a few participants, but continued encouraging everyone to come out.

"I had about 40 calls this morning, and they started about 6:15 a.m., and it was phone calls, texting and emails saying 'Oh, it's going to rain, we're not going to make it,' so I made a Facebook post this morning that was very clear. I put on there that those walking with MS are dealing with far more obstacles than a little rain. We walk for them, rain or shine," she said.

According to nationalmssociety.org, multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The cause of MS is still unknown, but scientists believe the disease is triggered by unidentified environmental factors in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond.

Hileman stressed that MS is often not a visible disease, but still affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. She became involved with the National MS Society nine years ago, after her brother-in-law and four high school classmates were diagnosed.

Sunday participants wore MS's signature color, orange, with a bib pinned to the front that read: "I connect." Before the walk, a large group of gray shirts gathered in the parking lot with the name Alex Voerg written across their bibs.

Voerg lives in Cape Girardeau, and was diagnosed with MS about a year ago, when she was 27 years old. Her mother, Laura Ritter, organizes the team for her daughter, and hopes Alex's Army can raise $15,000 this year for the National MS Society.

"I've just been learning about it [MS] and researching a lot. We found out about this walk and we've got a team of over 65 people with us," Ritter said. "This is the first thing that we did and people have just swarmed to us. ... Skyview [Animal Clinic] is where Alex works, and they've been real supportive and it's just been awesome. It's been a tough year for us but everyone's just been so encouraging."

Walk MS became a national event in 1988, and Hileman said Cape Girardeau began participating early on. This year a band, face painting, balloon animals, a raffle and lunch all were huddled under the main pavilion at Capaha Park, trying to keep out of the rain.

Sharon Snell has participated with Walk MS since 1997, and has been living with MS for 35 years. Although living with the autoimmune disease is difficult, Snell spends much of her time helping others. She volunteers at Saint Francis Medical Center on a regular basis leading a peer group.

"We share how MS is affecting us personally, and, by sharing, we become more comfortable with it. Talking with somebody with the same problems feels more welcoming. And that's the important part," she said.

Looking around the park Sunday, Snell smiled and waved at a familiar face, while explaining that her favorite part of the day is coming together as a community.

"Seeing people that have MS and how well they're doing, we try to make everybody feel comfortable. No matter what your disability might be, it doesn't make a difference. We're all here for the same reason," she said. "We're here to support each other."

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

Capaha Park, 1400 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.