Walk MS event raises money for multiple sclerosis research

Published: Friday, March 30, 2012 at 2:49 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, March 30, 2012 at 2:49 p.m.

Mansfield does not remember a time when her mother was not confined to a wheelchair, visible evidence of her mother's battle with the disease that eventually took her life.

My mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was just five years old, said Mansfield. I had to watch her struggle for 10 years with the effects of MS until she passed away when I was 15.

In memory of her mother, Mansfield will be participating in Tuscaloosa's Walk MS event Saturday sponsored by the Alabama-Mississippi chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Amanda Burton, event manager, said that Walk MS not only brings together people in the community who are affected by MS, but it also supports research and helps people with the disease move forward with their lives.

Check-in for the event begins at 8:30 am at Snow Hinton Park, and the walk begins at 9:30 am. The event will offer one-, two-, and three-mile route options.

The Walk MS event has existed in Alabama for 25 years, said Burton. This will be the third year that Tuscaloosa has hosted an event.

Burton said registration for the event is free, but participants are encouraged to raise at least $100 for the cause. Those who do so will receive a Walk MS t-shirt. Individuals can register on the day of the event, and fundraising will remain open for up to six weeks.

Burton said that raising funds to fight the progression of the disease could change the lives of thousands of Americans who suffer with it.

Multiple sclerosis stops people from moving, said Burton. The MS society exists to stop this.

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Walk MS event raises money for multiple sclerosis research