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Jayman BUILT MS Walk returns to Fort McMurray

PHOTO. Supplied. The Fort McMurray MS Walk in 2014. MS Society of Canada - Fort McMurray Chapter/FACEBOOK.

One year after the fires forced the cancellation of the 2016 event, the 2017 Jayman BUILT MS Walk prepares to make a triumphant return to Fort McMurray.

In 2015, the Fort McMurray Jayman BUILT MS Walk had 127 participants and raised $37,500.

Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system comprising the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.

It is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting young adults in Canada.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40, and the unpredictable effects of MS last for the rest of their lives.

To date, the cause is unknown and there is no cure.

Walking for Fort McMurray

The Jayman BUILT MS Walk offers individuals and teams a chance to celebrate hope and join the fight against MS, while raising crucial funds for the cause.

Organizers are calling on the community to join the fight, and the Walk’s return to Fort McMurray, by registering and fundraising.

“We’re asking Fort McMurray residents to show their enduring support in the fight against MS by registering and joining us at the Jayman BUILT MS Walk next weekend,” says Lauren Toews, Coordinator of Programs, Services & Development for the MS Society’s Fort McMurray Regional Office.

“The Jayman BUILT MS Walk is a great opportunity to come together as families, friends, neighbours and a united Fort McMurray community as we Walk to end MS, Canada’s disease,” adds Toews.

Money raised through the Jayman BUILT MS Walk will help fund local programs and services to help people effectively manage and cope with MS, and will also fuel Canadian MS research into causes, improved treatments and a cure.

For Fort McMurray resident, Shauna MacKinnon, the Jayman BUILT MS Walk represents an important opportunity to take control of a disease that threatens to take away so much.

Since her own MS diagnosis in January of 1998, Shauna has been proudly participating and fundraising for the event.

“I Walk because I can, and for those who can’t,” says MacKinnon, who has battled the effects of extreme fatigue as part of her MS journey over the last 19 years. “The Walk gives me a chance to publicize the MS Society and get the word out there that MS doesn’t have to mean life is over.”

 

The research funded through the Fort McMurray Jayman BUILT MS Walk gives hope to people like MacKinnon about the possibility of a brighter future – a future without MS.

“A cure would mean not having to worry about saving money for if and when disability hits. I could live with less stress about who’s going to look after me if I become disabled to the point where I need a caregiver.”

The walk will take place at Snye Park on Saturday, May 27th, beginning at 10:00 am.

Registration for the walk can be done online, or by visiting or calling the local office at 587-601-1716.