More than 200 walkers surpassed a $55,000 goal, raising $56,842 at the annual Fraser Valley MS walk in 黑马磁力 City.
MS Walk in 黑马磁力 City beats fundraising target, raises 57K
鈥� 黑马磁力 (@黑马磁力Times)
Weather conditions were perfect for the Douglas Park event, which reported 189 registered participants, a number that didn't include supporters and young children.
It was the second walk for 黑马磁力 City resident Cam Farnese.
"I was diagnosed in 1995 with just a few symptoms, nothing major," Farnese, 53, told the 黑马磁力.
He went on to a successful career in construction "until about six or seven years ago, until the MS fatigue and things like that kind of hindered me" so he retired.
Participants honour their mom at MS Walk in 黑马磁力 City
鈥� 黑马磁力 (@黑马磁力Times)
Sisters Chrissy and Katie Skingsley brought a portrait of their mom, Angela, who passed away in April.
"This is our 17th year walking, and she was with me every single year," said Katie, who has MS.
"She was everything. She was our shining light," Chrissy said.
Featured speaker Nimrat Aulakh, a registered nurse from Abbotsford, described how she was diagnosed with MS six years ago at the age of 22, while in her final year of university.
"One morning, I woke up with weakness on the entire left side of my body," Aulakh recalled, "I couldn't move my left arm or leg for nearly a month. It was the lowest point in my life."
Worse still, was the isolation.
"I had no roadmap, no one to turn to. My parents tried to be there for me, but it was difficult to explain what I was going through. In our South Asian community, there鈥檚 a lack of awareness about MS. There are cultural taboos, stigma, language barriers, and stereotypes that make it even harder to talk about chronic illness."
That鈥檚 why she decided to become an advocate facilitating support groups and working to raise awareness in the South Asian community.
"I鈥檓 proud to be an Ambassador with MS Canada, and I鈥檝e been involved in the MS Bike, the MS Walk, and peer support programs," she said.
MS has been a teacher, said Aulakh.
"It taught me resilience, adaptability, and empathy. I鈥檝e learned to meet people where they are, to appreciate the small victories, and to always find a reason to be hopeful. Through MS Canada, I鈥檝e met incredible people who helped me understand my journey and showed me that I wasn't alone. I continue to be inspired by the strength, positivity, and resilience of this community鈥攁nd I hope to carry that spirit forward in everything I do."
Kathryn Ferguson was 40, a high school English teacher who was in the middle of writing her master's thesis, when she started having some "strange symptoms that just weren't making any sense."
"I was fortunate to have a really, really good GP who sent me for every test imaginable, and the first MRI scan that I had showed definitive damage, that it was multiple sclerosis" Ferguson, an Abbotsford resident, recalled.
That was eight years ago.
"My situation now is, I am still off work," Ferguson, a stepmother of two, told the 黑马磁力.
"I made two attempts, actually, to go back through a whole work program with the BCTF, but my MS is quite aggressive. I'm on my third medication now. Things are steady now, but I have a lot of damage that can't be fixed yet."
Ferguson's had confirmed she had exceeded her $1,000 target, with $1,260 raised as of Walk day.
May is MS Awareness Month, and following the MS walk, World MS Day will be held, on the 30th.
"The whole month is about raising awareness and ideally raising funds that can go to support people around the country living with MS," said Ferguson, who has become an MS ambassador, a volunteer dedicated to raising awareness.
City Mayor Nathan Pachal and councillor Rosemay Wallace spoke before the walk began.
"A great friend of mine, her mom, went through MS and I understood the process of how someone can be transformed by that disease, but also the inspiration that can come from a group like this," Pachal said.
"I do have a couple of friends that are living with MS, and I see the challenges, and I hope for a cure one day," Wallace said.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system, where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, a protective covering around nerve fibers. The damage disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body, leading to a variety of symptoms.
MS Canada provides information, support and advocacy to people affected by MS, and funds research to find the cause and cure for the disease.
Visit or call 1-800-268-7582 for more information.
