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Setting A Strong Pace: Hartford Woman Steps Toward A Cure

February 2, 2016

Miner proudly displays a photograph of herself with her uncle when she was 8 years old, which she keeps in her new office at the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter in Hartford.
HARTFORD, Conn. – When Hartford’s Isabelle Miner signed on as the National MS Society’s Development Coordinator for the state of Connecticut, she could point to a few reasons why the job would be meaningful to her: working at a non-profit, giving back to the community, working with kind people who want to do good work, and building relationships with event participants who want to help create a world free of MS. But, none of these reasons, as strong as they are, could trump the last: that her uncle, Ed, has been fighting the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis since he was just 22 years old.
 
“I was born into a very large and loving family,” the 23 year-old started excitedly. “We have family all over the country, from California to Florida to here in Connecticut – and just about anywhere you could throw a stone in between, too. But, whichever state we call home, we’ve been mindful of having reunions in Washington D.C., where my uncle Ed safely resides in an accessible housing facility.”
 
Miner shared that she has always been close to her mother’s brother Ed, and in an age where technology is king, she loves sending hand-written letters to him to keep in touch.
 
“I’ve heard that when faced with a disease like multiple sclerosis, people can feel one of two ways: depression or euphoria,” the young woman shared from her new office at the Society on Tower Ave. in Hartford. “My uncle has  met this disease with euphoria. Whether it’s a coping mechanism, denial or he simply doesn’t quite mind, his unblemished happiness comes through in each returned letter or conversation. It’s humbling to be around.”
 
More than 6,500 Connecticut residents are living with MS, a potentially debilitating disease. The cause is unknown and there is currently no cure. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.
 
As a 2014 graduate of Fordham’s School of Business, Miner holds a degree in business administration. And, upon graduating, she took a position at HBO in New York City as an on-air planner. But, as fast-paced as the world of television is, Miner says it just wasn’t fulfilling.
 
“I wanted to be able to get up and go to work in the morning knowing that I was going to make a difference,” Miner said. “I wanted to do something that mattered, but I wasn’t finding that there.”
 
When Miner began searching for a more rewarding career, she was drawn to the organization that had captured her heart when she decided to raise money in support of her uncle’s ongoing battle.
 
In 2013, Miner ran in the New York City Marathon as a member of Team Race To Stop MS, raising $4,000 for the New York City Chapter of the National MS Society. Her run followed her older brother’s participation in the race two years earlier.
 
“My family has always been very supportive of my uncle Ed, and my uncle Paul went so far as to set up something called the ‘Ed Fund,’ which family members contribute to in order to help pay for medical expenses,” Miner explained. “And that trickled down to my siblings and me.”
 
In 2015, Miner applied for development positions at the very same office that she had fundraised for just two years earlier, but was saddened to hear that by the time she submitted her application, the position had been filled.
 
“I really thought I had missed the one opportunity I would ever have to work at an organization that I had come to love and respect,” she said. “The people I had met while fundraising were amazing to work with and I would have loved to do so professionally.”
 
A second-chance opportunity arose when the national organization’s HR department contacted Miner about a similar position that was open at the Connecticut office.
 
“I knew I had to jump on it,” she said with a smile. “I knew this job would be worth it.”
 
Miner landed the position focused on increasing event participation and before the ink could dry on her paperwork, she had solidified her first ever Walk MS recruit: herself.
 
“As soon as I shared with my family that I had a new job at the Connecticut Chapter working on Walk MS recruitment, they responded with ‘we should set up a team’ so I did,” she said. “We’ll be stepping out in Fairfield as team Walk For Ed. Most of my family is still in Fairfield County, and they’re all promising to turn out for the event.”
 
Among other family, Miner has parents, aunts, uncles and cousins who will lace up their shoes the morning of Saturday, April 16, and head to Fairfield’s Jennings Beach from points including Redding, Bethel and Nyack, New York.
 
Check in for the 2016 Travelers Walk MS opens at 9 and walkers will step out at 10 a.m. The Fairfield site will also feature a Mission Station- an exciting way for walkers to get involved, get information, earn rewards and gather some team spirit for the walk.
 
“We’ll do just about anything for family,” said Miner about her relatives. “My uncle Ed used to love to be out and about, and had a real passion for cycling. Unfortunately, his MS has progressed and he has been in a wheelchair for nearly a quarter of a century already. More recently he’s begun to shows signs of his disease cognitively, but we’ll never stop fighting for him.”
 
Each year, upward of 10,000 Connecticut residents step out for Walk MS across the state. This year, the Connecticut Chapter, with the help of Miner’s recruitment, hopes to attract even more and has set a goal of raising $1.3 million for the fight against MS.
 
Funds raised by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, through events, such as Walk MS, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, and provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter. While there is no fee to register for Walk MS, participants are encouraged to form teams and raise funds.
 
“When my uncle Paul Weiss started as a walk volunteer and fundraiser for the National MS Society 25 years ago, there weren’t any medications available to help treat MS,” she shared. “Now, there are more than a dozen. If I can see the Society through even a fraction of what my uncle has, I know that I’ll be doing good work.”
 
For more information on Walk MS or services offered by the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, go to ctfightsMS.org.

About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts 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 leading to better understanding and 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 2.3 million people worldwide.

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