Bidwell woman chosen as ambassador for Walk MS: Gallipolis

by Staff Report GDTnews@civitasmedia.com Gallipolis Daily Tribune

GALLIPOLIS Jami Jo Cox has been named Ambassador of Walk MS: Gallipolis, 2013. Walk MS: Gallipolis is slated for 10 a.m. April 20 at Haskins Memorial Park. Funds raised during the event will benefit the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National MS Society.

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, 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.

Cox, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003, will serve as the Walk MS team captain.

MS makes some activities slightly more difficult for me, says Cox. I have to limit physical activity during summer months as heat and humidity make my symptoms flare-up.

Ms. Cox says she began participating in Walk MS, because it is a great way to meet and support others with MS, and raise money to help find a cure. Cox also believes Walk MS is a, way to educate the community and involve the Gallipolis area in the movement to create a world free of multiple sclerosis.

The Ohio Valley Chapter of the National MS Society, founded in 1952, serves more than 6,000 people with multiple sclerosis and their families in 24 Ohio counties and the three northern Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton and Campbell. The organization is committed to ensuring that people living with MS across our chapter territory have the information and quality care they need to live healthy, productive and independent lives. To meet these needs, a variety of programs and services that span a spectrum of needs are provided.

To learn more about multiple sclerosis or the Ohio Valley Chapter, visit http://www.fightMStoday.org.

To register for Walk MS: Gallipolis, visit http://www.WalkMSOhioValley.org or call (800) 344-4867.

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Bidwell woman chosen as ambassador for Walk MS: Gallipolis