Walk MS draws thousands to the Parkway to find a cure for multiple sclerosis
Walk MS draws thousands to raise awareness, find a cure
The annual Walk MS was held Saturday, as thousands turned out to support, raise awareness and raise funds to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
FAIRMOUNT - Raising awareness and funds for a cure for multiple sclerosis was the goal of thousands of walkers on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Saturday as they participated in the annual Walk MS.
What we know:
The Walk MS event kicked off for another year along the Ben Franklin Parkway.
It’s an annual three-mile walk around the streets of Philadelphia, to support and raise funds for those battling multiple sclerosis, with the end goal of helping researchers determine the cause and find a cure.
"Being disabled is a minority group that anyone can join at any time. MS - we don’t know what causes it so, it could be coming out there for anyone. We want to make sure that we are protecting ourselves, protecting our friends, family, neighbors and supporting our community," says Juliana Denick, whose father is battling MS.
Dig deeper:
Among the community of walkers were those supporting loved ones with MS, but also those battling it as well.
"The name of my team is Support K, which is me and this is our third year doing the MS Walk," says Karrie Marie Burton.
Burton was diagnosed with MS in 2023.
"I started feeling numbness in my fingertips, and then it worked its way to my legs to the point that I couldn’t walk. I was walking like I was drunk. Then next thing I know my legs got heavy and I started falling," says Burton.
With every person impacted by it, there is a different story.
For Katy Booth Whartnaby, it was years of fatigue and even vision loss before her diagnosis in 2015.
"I ended up developing optic neuritis, which is partial blindness in the one eye. Just temporary swelling of the optic nerve that blocks your vision. Got treated and they did an MRI and then discovered that I had MS," says Whartnaby.
Big picture view:
Despite their different stories and journeys, there is a similarity among them all - their teams of family and friends who continue to literally walk by their side throughout it all.
"They come to my appointments, they come when I get my infusions. Just a call or a text to support me, to make me lift my spirits up. Some days it’s not always easy, some days it’s a little difficult but then I have good days and my family is always there for me. I’m so grateful for them," says Burton.
With each step these support teams take, it’s hopefully another step closer to finding a cure for MS.
What you can do:
Find out more about multiple sclerosis on the National Multiple Sclerosis website, here.