Local Family Says Now Is The Time To Make A Difference

Sandy Hoffman, of Oak Ridge, and her family know the importance of getting active for a cause you believe in. Sandy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 17 years ago. Her 20-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed, and her older brother has been living with the disease for more than 25 years.

So what did Sandy decide to do with all this news? Get involved. Sandy first got involved in the Walk MS event to show support for her brother. She has also been involved in the Gateway Area Chapter's Corporate Achievers program since 2008.

"I became involved in Corporate Achievers to create more awareness of MS and to raise money to help find a cure," said Hoffman. "The best way to learn more about MS is to get involved," she said. "Maybe no one in your family is affected by MS, or you don't know anyone with the disease, so you think it isn't important to you, but now is the time to take an active role," Hoffman encourages. "Why? Because you don't know if one of your children will be diagnosed with MS until he or she is 15 years old or older, and you don't know if you might wake up one day and symptoms just appear. That's why it's important to become involved," said Hoffman.

And Hoffman is taking her involvement with the Corporate Achievers one step further by organizing a fundraising event.

This Friday, June 26, Mouse Races will be held Dockside (4 N. Spanish Street, Cape Girardeau). Doors and betting windows open at 6:30 p.m. Complimentary food, beer and soft drinks are available from 6:30-7:30 and the races and cash bar begin at 7:30. After the races, there will be dancing with music by Charlie's Music. Advance tickets are $20, or $25 at the door. You must be 21 to attend. Table sponsorships are available for $140 for a table of 8. Tickets available at MedAssets, 280 S. Mt. Auburn through Sandy Hoffman, or at Capaha Bank, 380 N. Kingshighway through Jeanne Camden or through the National MS Society, 1217 N. Kingshighway, Suite 116 through Sharon Hileman.

"The money we are raising from the mouse races will help people living with MS locally," said Hoffman.

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and it stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.

The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

For more information on MS and the Gateway Area Chapter of the National MS Society, visit www.gatewaymssociety.org