Residents and students take strides for MS

Author: Kelly Janis

It is not every Saturday morning that the streets of Rutland swell with chatty, energetic crowds, winding their way through crosswalks, intersections and parking lots, their gaze fixed upon a noble cause. This Saturday, however, was the exception, as dozens laced up their sneakers and opened up their wallets for MS Walk-Rutland, the city's annual event to fight multiple sclerosis (MS).

The walk, one of five held across the state every April, raised an estimated $6,000 as it showcased College students and local residents pooling ideas, resources and passion to achieve a common aim.

Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable neurological disease that can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, paralysis and blindness, afflicts an estimated 400,000 people in the United States. This fact is particularly salient locally.

"Vermont has one of the highest incidence rates of MS nationwide. One in 400 people in Vermont is living with multiple sclerosis," said Christine Lloyd-Newberry, Programs Manager of the Vermont division of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Carrie Bryant '08.5 was instrumental in the walk's planning and execution, a reflection of her intense personal connection to the cause. Bryant was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the summer of 2004, just months before she had planned to begin her first year at the College. She deferred enrollment and matriculated the following February to a flurry of challenges.

"A lot of people on campus don't know a lot about the disease. And it's frustrating, because there are so many symptoms, so many things that people don't see on the outside, that are affecting my daily life," Bryant said. "I want to raise awareness, first and foremost, because people don't think it can happen to kids our age, and I'm a living and breathing example that it can. It's not just people twenty to forty who get it. My dad's cousin was diagnosed when she was sixty, and I was diagnosed when I was eighteen."

Rayna Rogowsky '09.5, whose mother suffers from MS, has been heavily involved in activism surrounding the disease. "The cause is really important to me," she said.

In ninth grade, Rogowsky and her friends organized a multiple sclerosis walk at their high school. Turnout was low that first year. By the time she was a senior, however, participation had more than doubled.

Encouraged by her previous triumphs, Rogowsky got in touch with the Vermont chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to find out how she could extend her leadership upon her arrival at Middlebury last February.

She was immediately directed to Rutland, where previous walks were unsuccessful in garnering funding and participation. "It was really well-intentioned, but it didn't work out," said Rogowsky. Determined to reverse this trend, Rogowsky and two other Middlebury students set to work in November to plan this year's event.

"We started with help from the MS Society. They're really supportive. They gave us the framework," Rogowsky said. "Since they had done walks in Rutland before, they had an infrastructure for us to tap into."

Quickly, support began to trickle in.

"We started getting donations from the Rutland community, from the Middlebury community, from the College community. We got people walking or volunteering, and I was really lucky. A lot of my friends stepped up, a lot of people from the community stepped up," Rogowsky said. "It's just so exciting, and there's so much potential for it to be bigger and better and to get more people involved."

On Saturday, Bryant was heartened by the sizable contingent of College students who trekked the four mile course or donned orange safety vests to function as crossing guards.

"I'm really excited and glad that we had such a big Middlebury turnout. I feel honored that people would come and take this seriously, because it's a disease that no one wants. You don't want to be part of that club," Bryant said. "It means a lot to me that a lot of people would come support us."

Townspeople were similarly responsive.

Local resident Rick Lees parked his motor-powered scooter in Rutland High School's lobby and watched, all smiles, as walkers filtered in at the event's conclusion. "I have MS, and I think it's essentially important to everyone that has it to at least try to be here and support the people who are trying to help us find a cure," Lees said.

Students said it was the community's enthusiasm that fueled the event's success.

"The community is totally involved, and that's the best thing," Rogowsky said.

Lloyd-Newberry was impressed by the diversity of the walk's participants. "This is an inclusive event," she said. "People wheel it, they walk it, they use slow walkers. They come out for all sorts of reasons."

The principle reason, it seems, is the manner in which the issue resonates in so many lives. "There is not a single person in this state who is not affected by this disease in one way or another. When you come to a community walk, you see that," Lloyd-Newberry said.

The coordinators of this year's walk are eager to ensure its continued growth.

"This is a small walk, and we have a huge part. And it's going to be a bigger walk, and we'll have an even bigger part, next year," Rogowsky said. "I'm really optimistic about ways to keep it going."

This year's campaign, however, is not yet over. Donations associated with the event will be accepted online at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's website through the month of June. Rogowsky encouraged students and local residents alike to pitch in.

"There are so many people who need help," she said. "Just do what you can do."