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Home > Archive > Mar 20, 2008

19th Annual Walk MS to Raise funds for MS
By Katrice Schimbeck
Staff Writer
It could be as simple as unexplained fatigue for days on end, bad memory, fuzzy vision or more extreme symptoms such as unexplained clumsiness and not being able to walk.
These are symptoms of multiple sclerosis. More than 400,000 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with MS, 30,000 of whom live in Utah.
On March 29, people hoping to make a difference will participate in the 19th Annual Walk MS: Utah’s Walk 2008 at Tonaquint Park. All money raised will stay in the Utah chapter for research or local client programs.
Brenda Dennison was 33 when she was diagnosed with MS about four years ago. She was having pain behind her eyes and went to the doctor to see what he could do about her sinus headaches. When he didn’t see any sign of infection, he sent her to an ophthalmologist. He looked into the optic nerves and ordered an MRI. It confirmed optic neuritis and scars on her brain. She had MS. 
“I just used to think I was clutsy,” Dennison said. 
The year before she was diagnosed, she had numbness in her legs and fell down the stairs. The numbness was attributed to her pregnancy at the time, and there is no way of knowing if it was the beginning of her MS.
“I’ve always complained about little things. My husband said it was just in my head. It really was; it was real,” Dennison said laughing.
When she was diagnosed, she just felt shock. Then she wanted to know what multiple sclerosis was and what it meant for raising her four sons and one daughter. Would she end up in a wheelchair?
She had little tingles and pains she thought were just pinched nerves. But Dennison said she has felt  more severe symptoms, and had a bout of extreme fatigue for six weeks, unable to get out of bed.
As much as scientists think exercise helps MS victims, the heat and fatigue can aggravate symptoms and set off attacks. Dennison said once you have a scarred area on your brain, those same areas are affected.
Dennison participates in a pool of those with high-risk insurance, for which she pays $500 a month. This does not include anyone else in her family. She is on Avonex therapy, with a monthly co-pay of $350. She spends more than $1,000 a month on insurance and medication.
It’s not just the cost that is difficult.
She said sometimes friends and extended family forget you have MS. This makes it a private battle.
“You don’t look like you have anything, and you don’t act like you have anything and you don’t want to remind everyone,” Dennison said.
She feels fortunate. She has a job with a flexible schedule, has help in her home and is not the breadwinner of her family. She says good nutrition makes a huge difference in how she feels. She uses and also sells Isogenix, a nutrition system she says has greatly improved her life.
“If I’m tired, I need to be able to stay in bed. There are definitely (other) families who suffer with that,” Dennison said.
The Annual Walk MS helps to make life better for those with the disease.
A list of teams and individuals vying for sponsors for the MS walk can be accessed at www.fightmsutah.org. Those who want to help can register to walk and send out e-mails asking for sponsors, or you can also be a sponsor by donating money for MS. Click on Utah’s Walk 2008, and then St. George, or call (801) 424-0113 and press option 2. Volunteers are also needed to help with registration, snack station manager and other needs during the event
Statewide last year, nearly 4,000 people raised more than $442,000. This year, the Utah State Chapter hopes to raise $505,000.
“This event is a fun and easy way for people to join the movement,” Utah State Chapter President Annette Royale said. “People can enjoy a short, Saturday morning walk while making a difference in the lives of Utahans living with MS.”
Registration for the walk starts at 8 a.m. DJ Lex will be playing music. There will be a bounce house and faux tattoos for children. The 501st Star Wars Battalion will mingle with the crowd, and breakfast will be served.
“It’s almost a carnival. We have a lot of fun out there,” local event organizer Christina Hopkinson said.
The program starts at 9:45 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.
Brenda Dennison will be there and hopes to have a team to walk.
“I believe they can find a cure with research. It’s simply a misguided immune system,” Dennison said. “The money can help the families dealing with it. Sometimes it’s the breadwinner (with MS).”
After the three-mile walk, contest prizes for the teams will be awarded.
For more information on the MS walk or MS in general, go to www.fightmsutah.org (801) 424-0113), or www.nationalMSsociety.org (800) 344-4867.

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