Why Thousands of Rochesterians Lace Up Every Spring for Walk MS

In the 1940s a woman named Sylvia Lawry placed a two line classified ad in the New York Times because her brother had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she had no idea what to do next. That ad became the National MS Society, and Rochester was one of its founding chapters. Andy Yates, Executive Director of the Upstate New York chapter, tells that story and brings it forward 80 years to what the society is doing for the roughly one million Americans living with MS today.

Discover what MS actually is, how damage to the myelin sheath disrupts signals between the brain and the rest of the body, and why the disease presents so differently from person to person that many people struggle to get the right diagnosis. Andy explains why early diagnosis is so critical, how disease modifying therapies have transformed outcomes over the past several decades and why artificial intelligence may hold the key to the next major breakthrough.

Walk MS Rochester is Sunday May 3rd at Genesee Valley Park, starting at the Roundhouse Shelter with the site opening at 8:30am and the walk kicking off at 10. There is no cost to participate, the route is one mile or three miles, and the event is dog friendly. Every walker receives a colored circle, orange for those living with MS, green for those who love or care for someone with the disease and yellow for supporters, and the moment when everyone holds up their circles together is one of the most powerful things the event produces year after year.

Fundraising tools are built into the registration process and can be linked directly to social media, and donations can also be made at any time at nationalmssociety.org. Anyone living with MS can also reach a trained MS Navigator by visiting that site for one on one help with everything from finding the right neurologist to navigating workplace accommodations.

Register for Walk MS Rochester and track local fundraising progress at walkms.org.