Feb 24, 2012
St. Louis, MO (February 24, 2012)– Adventurer Wendy Booker is coming to St. Louis to help kick off MS Awareness Week with a rally on March 11.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, Wendy was initially devastated. But it took little time for her to transform anguish into inspiration, and with no previous climbing experience, Wendy became the first person with MS to stand atop Denali, the highest mountain in North America, in 2004. And in the euphoria of conquering Denali an idea was born. Why not try for the Seven Summits? Why not do it in spite of MS? In that moment, Wendy Booker began a decade long quest to reach the top of the highest mountain on each continent, successfully climbing Mt. McKinley (Denali), Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Vinson Massif and Mt. Kosciusko.
After two attempts on Mt. Everest, Wendy accepted contentment in climbing 6 ½ of the Seven Summits and leveraging her experiences to empower others facing obstacles to never give up and continue to scale new heights.
Wendy will be the headline speaker at an MS Awareness Week Rally in St. Louis on March 11, where she will share her inspiring stories and encourage guests to continue to do everything in their power to create a world free of MS. MS Awareness Week, which runs from March 11-17, is a time for people affected by MS to connect with others, share knowledge and take action to increase awareness about the disease.
Guests at the rally can sign up as volunteers and join popular fundraising events such as Walk MS, Challenge Walk MS, MuckRuckus MS (the Society’s event formerly known as Mud Run), and Bike MS. The rally will include an appearance by Fredbird, and a few dedicated volunteers will be presented with special awards for their commitment to the MS movement.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, with symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The Gateway Area Chapter provides services including financial assistance for those who have lost income and incurred expenses because of MS, educational resources for people living with MS and their families, and resources to help people with MS stay active both physically and socially.
The National MS Society was also able to invest more than $37 million last year to advance research to stop the disease, restore lost function and end MS forever.
For more information about Wendy Booker, please visit http://wendybooker.net. For more information about MS and services available in the area, please visit http://gatewaymssociety.org or call 800-344-4867.
Event Details:
MS AWARENESS RALLY
Time:Sunday, March 11, 1-3 p.m.
Place:St. Louis Community College
Meramec Campus Gymnasium (Map)
11333 Big Bend Road
St. Louis, MO 63122
Price: FREE!
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. 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 at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and over 2.1 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.
Last year alone, through the national office and 50-state network of chapters, the National MS Society devoted over $161 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested more than $37 million to support 325 new and ongoing research projects around the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. 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 nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867. You may also contact your local Gateway Area Chapter at www.gatewayMSsociety.org or 314-781-9020.
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