300/365

I am selective about the causes I choose to support. Not because I don't care about the array of issues affecting people in this world, or believe in the good that so many people are trying to do; but because, if I got on board with every single one of them, I would be exhausted and broke. So I choose the issues close to home. Issues, injustices, or maladies that have either affected my life personally, and/or that affect the life of someone close to me.

 

 

• Juvenile (Type 1) Diabetes
• Angelman Syndrome
• Inclusion
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

This morning, I walked for 10km, raising funds and awareness for MS. I have some knowledge of MS, based on the facts and experiences my friend affected by the disease has shared. Today I learned some new facts about MS that I hadn't known before:

• Canadians have one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world.
• MS is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada.
• Every day, three more people in Canada are diagnosed with MS.
• Women are more than three times as likely to develop MS as men.
• MS can cause loss of balance, impaired speech, extreme fatigue, double vision and paralysis.
• MS was first identified and described by a French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, in 1868.
• The cause of MS is unknown, but researchers are closer to finding the answer.

These facts were all posted on little signs along the walking trail. After reading them, I found myself--as a young Canadian female--extra grateful for my health. It also reminded of what a rock star my friend really is.

As with the other passions close to my heart, it excites me that the possibility of researchers and experts finding a cure could be just on the cusp of the future. Forget walking--there will be happy dances all around.