MS and CF Walks Middlebury Steps in to Lend a Helping Foot

Author: Megan O'Keefe

This weekend, Middlebury residents and College students cast aside their sandals and laced up their sneakers for a good cause. Teaming up to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), participants in Saturday's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Walk and Sunday's Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Great Strides Walk crossed Middlebury and collected thousands of dollars in pledge contributions.
The MS Walk was held on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. from Middlebury Union High School. Walkers covered 10 miles of Middlebury terrain, each contributing a minimum pledge of $25.
According to the NMSS, "MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord and the optic nerves." In MS, symptoms result when inflammation and breakdown occur in myelin, the protective insulation surrounding the nerve fibers of the central nervous system. The symptoms of MS are broad and vary greatly from person to person. The NMSS Web site reports, "A person with MS could have loss of balance and muscle coordination making walking difficult; another person with MS could have slurred speech, tremors, stiffness and bladder problems. Even severe symptoms may disappear completely and the person will regain lost functions."
MS is not fatal, but greatly impacts the lives of sufferers. Approximately 400,000 Americans report having MS, which usually appears in adults between the age of 20 and 50 and affects a disproportionate number of women. While genetics may play a role in the disease, there is no evidence that it is directly inherited. While there is currently no cure for the disease, the NMSS has invested $350 million in research that their Web site reports has "made possible significant advancements in finding treatments and improving diagnosis, rehabilitation and symptomatic therapy for people with all forms of MS - as well as bringing us closer to a cure."
According to literature published by the Vermont Division of NMSS, "The MS Walk is a great chance for teams and communities to come together for a fun-filled event while making a tremendous difference in the lives of those with multiple sclerosis."
The CF Walk, held on Sunday afternoon, began and ended on Franklin St. just outside of Twilight Hall. Middlebury student Erin King '04, chairperson of the Middlebury Great Strides Walk, played an instrumental role in organizing the three-mile walk. "This is the third year that this walk has taken place in Middlebury, and in the past it has proved fairly successful. This year, my goal is to get more students involved," she explained. Encouraging students to participate in next year's walk, she said, "It's really an easy, fun way to make a difference," adding, "It's late enough in the day so you can sleep in, go to brunch, and still make it." Despite King's humor, her involvement in the CF Walk is deeply personal. King's high school best friend suffered from CF and passed away due to complications from the disease at age 16.
According to the CFF, "Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. CF causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus." The mucus may cover the respiratory or digestive organs resulting in chronic lung infections or digestive problems. While specialized treatments are available to address these problems at CF Foundation-supported care centers across the country, there is no cure for CF. CF is a life-threatening disease. Thirty years ago, the age of survival for those suffering from CF was only eight years old. While research on the disease has advanced significantly, today the lifespan of sufferers averages just over 30 years.
The CFF supports a broad range of medical research to achieve its mission of finding a cure or control for CF and to improve the quality and length of life for people with the disease. The CF Walk is one of the many events sponsored by the Foundation to raise money for research and medical projects. The Foundation's motto - "Adding tomorrows every day"- expresses the urgency of CF research efforts. "With each sunrise, scientists understand a bit more about the disease; promising new drugs advance through the pipeline; and caregivers' techniques to manage the symptoms of CF become more powerful. As a result, more and more individuals with CF are living full adult lives," the organization's Web site explains.
King witnessed firsthand what it means to live with CF. Describing her friend's struggle with the disease, King said, "I witnessed how she needed to take a handful of pills every afternoon just to keep from getting more sick than her body could handle. When she did catch the flu, she was hospitalized for several weeks. From that point forward, she needed to carry an oxygen tank because it had left her too weak to rely on her lungs alone." King continued, "When she took up piano, it didn't even register that it was because she couldn't breathe enough to play clarinet anymore." King's friend moved from Vermont to New Orleans to better her chance of getting a lung transplant, a temporary solution for patients with lung complications. Despite the optimism of family and friends, King's friend passed away shortly after the relocation.
King's personal experience with CF has been deepened through her involvement with the CF Walk. She said, "Through this walk, I have met several families whose children have CF. The first year, a family from Burlington came to walk with their baby girl. During the walk I talked with her father, who asked me about my friend. I felt horrible answering him, telling him how old she was when she died. I knew that everything I said about her might someday apply to his baby daughter, and I could offer him no hope. In the end, that is why I am doing this walk... so that these families can have hope."
This year 18 people participated in the walk and 4 other volunteers were present to help with the event. King reports that $3,311.78 was raised, the most the Middlebury walk has ever collected in pledges.