Annual MS walk raises money, support for research

By NOUR HABIB World Scene Writer on Apr 4, 2013, at 2:26 AMUpdated on 4/04 at 7:12 AM

It took Amy Dallis two years to come to terms with the diagnosis of MS that she received in 2009. Dallis will participate in Walk MS on April 13. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World

It's that type of research leading to such advancements - and, hopefully one day, a cure - that the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society seeks to support.

MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system - the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord. It can cause everything from extreme fatigue and problems with vision to numbness and paralysis.

The Oklahoma chapter of the society is holding its 26th annual Walk MS on April 13 at Veterans Park, 1875 S. Boulder Ave. Along with going toward research in finding a cure, the funds raised at the event will also support services and programs for people with MS and their families in Oklahoma.

Amy Dallis, 39, was diagnosed with MS in 2009. After two days of a numbing sensation that started in her feet and spread up to her waist, Dallis went to see a neurologist. Four hours after the neurologist conducted an MRI, she was diagnosed.

"The MRI showed numerous lesions on my spine and in my brain," Dallis said.

Because she already had "black holes," or places where the lesions had completely eaten through the nerves, doctors told her that she probably had the disease for a few years before the diagnosis.

Dallis said it took her two years to accept the diagnosis.

"I went through phases," she said. "At one point I thought, 'It can't be this (MS). It's gotta be something else.' "

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Annual MS walk raises money, support for research