May 27, 2009
2009 Walk MS Raises $1.1 Million for Vital MS Research
2009 WALK MS RAISES $1.1 MILLION FOR VITAL MS RESEARCH
Owings Mills, MD, - More than 7,500 walkers joined the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Maryland Chapter in the fight against MS by participating in 9 community Walk MS sites across Maryland this month.
Walk MS events were held in Cumberland and Frederick on April 4th; Columbia, Hagerstown, Ocean City, and Westminster on April 18th; and in Annapolis, Towson, and Cambridge on April 19th. Chapter President Mark Roeder was optimistic that the goal of $1.1 million would be reached, “We are so thankful that despite this challenging economy, our participants found creative ways to fundraise and kept the momentum to find a cure strong.” Donations to Walk MS are still being accepted through June 1st and can be made at www.walkMSmaryland.org or by calling (443) 641-1200
Walk MS is the Maryland Chapter's largest fundraising campaign. The National MS Society, Maryland Chapter raises funds to support vital MS research that will further treatment and move us closer to a cure. In addition, the Chapter provides programs and services to more than 6,500 people living with MS throughout the State, and advocates on priority issues on behalf of the MS community. The Maryland Chapter also provides funding in support of clinical services at the John Hopkins MS Center and to the University of Maryland Center for MS.
About Multiple Sclerosis
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.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Each year, through our home office and 50 state network of chapters, we devote nearly $130 million to programs that enhance more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. In 2008 alone, the Society also invested more than $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at nationalMSsociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).
Contact: Shirley Lozano-Nelson
National MS Society Maryland Chapter
Phone: 443-641-1219
Fax: 443-641-1201
shirley.lozano-nelson@nmss.org