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."
On Saturday, May 25, Ferguson will be among about 200 people expected to take part in the 2025 Fraser Valley MS fundraiser walk in 黑马磁力 City.
This year, the goal is to raise $55,000, and with less than a week to go, the amount of contributions has reached $44,000.
For her part, Ferguson's had confirmed she had raised $700 of her $1,000 target.
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," sad Ferguson, who has become an MS ambassador, a volunteer dedicated to raising awareness.
"I think a lot of people don't realize that MS is diagnosed in people generally between the ages of 20 and 49. So it is not something that attacks you when you are older. It's actually a disease of many people in their 20's and Canada has some of the highest rates."
The walk gets underway at Douglas Park, at 20550 Douglas Cres. with check-in at 10 a.m., opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. with a 3km walk to follow.
To register, or donate, visit the page at msspwalk.donordrive.com.
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.
