May 17, 2012
Belmar, NJ – Belmar resident, Elizabeth Miklus, will get on her bike this coming May 19th to cycle the New Jersey coastline to help to fund a cure for multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system for which there is no cure. For the second consecutive year Elizabeth will support the National MS Society and the over 13,000 people in New Jersey affected by the disease by participating in the Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride.
Elizabeth joined the Bike MS movement last year when her friend Mary Russo, who has been riding the Coast ride for years, of the Jersey Girl StayStrong club asked her if she would like to join her. A few other friends from the Jersey Girl StayStrong club would ride with them and their Bike MS team was formed. Their Bike MS team has grown this year with 4 new people joining them as cyclists and volunteers. The multisport club has 100 plus members of like minded women who are not only anxious to participate in different athletic events (runs, triathlons, etc) but participate in these athletic events in support of great causes such as MS.
This year Elizabeth will ride the 50 mile ride and she is already planning to coast the entire coast in the 170 mile ride next year. “I have a friend who suffers from MS and have learned of others in my circle of friends who are touched by MS, either suffering it themselves or having a friend who suffers from it, through my participation in the MS Coast the Coast event. The more I learn about this disease and hear the stories of people and families affected by MS the more I hope I can make a difference in bringing awareness to it as well as fund raise for further research. It's amazing how one person inviting me to do this ride with them last year has grown to be a group of us riding with our Jersey Girl StayStrong club members supporting us with donations and words of encouragement”, says Elizabeth.
Last year Elizabeth raised over $1,100 individually due to the generosity of her friends, co-workers and many of her fellow Jersey Girl StayStrong club members. She has already surpassed her goal for this year’s ride by more than doubling her total from last year.
On Saturday, May 19, 2012 Elizabeth and her team will put the pedal to the metal and coast the New Jersey coast to help create a world free of MS in the 2012 Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride. Her goal is to create MS awareness and raise funds to support critical programs and services and help fund a cure.
The New Jersey Metro Chapter’s “Coast the Cost” Bike MS ride will host over 2,000 participants and volunteers with a goal of raising $1 million as they pedal along the Jersey Shore. Participants are welcome to register individually, or join or create a team, and choose from one or two day ride lengths. For more information about Bike MS please contact: Mary Beth Maclearieat 800-344-4867 or visit http://bikenjm.nationalmssociety.org.
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 the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. 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 2.1 million worldwide.
About the National MS Society
The National MS Society is a movement by and for people with MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education and provides programs and services that help people with MS and their families to move their lives forward. MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn’t.
Join the movement.
Find out more at nationalMSsociety.org/njm
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