DENVER - In 2006 Jason DaSilva was 25-years-old and living his passion as a successful documentary filmmaker when he suddenly had trouble walking. A visit to his doctor changed his life when he was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Not one to be deterred, he went on a family vacation, but when he fell on a beach and couldn’t get up, he realized the very real impact MS would have. As he moved to using a cane, a walker and then a motorized chair, DaSilva decided he would be the subject of his next documentary and capture the transformative experience of becoming a disabled.
A screening of the resulting documentary, “When I Walk,” takes place at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 6 at the Sie Film Center in Denver during National MS Awareness Week. The film follows DaSilva’s personal journey as he sought healing from places around the world, dated, married and continued his passion for filmmaking. Although he had to give up his total control of the camera, he learned a new way to see and live in the world. “When I Walk” was an Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Canadian Feature at HotDocs 2013.
Importance of Awareness
“National MS Awareness Week is March 3- 9 this year, but our efforts to keep the public informed about this disease never stops,” said Colorado-Wyoming Chapter, National MS Society President Carrie Nolan.
“Most people know someone who lives with MS, a disease that strikes the central nervous system. Symptoms range from loss of vision, balance and cognition issues, to loss of movement depending on where the spine or brain are impacted,” Nolan said.
DaSilva is one of an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide living with MS today - more than 11,000 people in Colorado live with this disease. Although there has been progress - there are now 10, FDA-approved disease modifying therapies for relapsing MS, the most common form of the disease, where none existed just 20 years ago - the cause and cure for MS remain unknown. Thanks to research efforts and advances in technology, MS is easier to diagnose today, but many significant challenges remain. Treatments and therapies that stop progression of MS are the next research frontier,” Nolan said.
The National MS Society is the largest private funder of MS research in the world and invested more than $48 million in 2013 alone to fund 380 research projects globally - eight of these projects are located in Colorado. The Society’s research targets are threefold - stop MS, restore function lost to MS and end MS forever.
“Our Chapter was able to contribute $1.9 million to the Society’s research efforts in 2013 thanks to strong community support of events such as Bike MS, Walk MS and MuckFest MS. Our staff work to ensure these events are safe and fun for participants, but the reason for hosting them is never lost. Awareness, engagement and ongoing support are key to furthering breakthroughs, which will ultimately lead to everyone living in a world free of MS,” Nolan emphasized.
Tickets to the screening of “When I Walk” are $12.50 per person and can be purchased at www.tugg.com/events/7697. For more information about MS and upcoming events, visit www.cureMSco-wy.org.