Lubbock Rises Above for Multiple Sclerosis

I was proud to host the Walk MS-Lubbock event this year and I'm looking forward to being the host for many years to come! Michelle and the team at the MS Society in Lubbock work tirelessly to raise donations and awareness.

This is great news!

LUBBOCK, Texas, May 17, 2011 –Lubbock-area residents have stepped up for multiple sclerosis by raising nearly $51,000 to date for Walk MS 2011, which has exceeded the fundraising goal of $40,000 and is a 76 percent increase from last year’s event. Hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Walk MS: Lubbock 2011 is the rallying point of the MS movement, a community coming together to raise funds and celebrate hope for the future.

“The fundraising efforts by our participants have been overwhelming,” said Michelle Meeks, Development Manager, National MS Society, Lone Star. “The Lubbock Area community has displayed an enormous amount of generosity and enthusiasm in creating a world free of MS.”

Donations are still being accepted online at walkMStexas.org, and every dollar counts. For additional information, contact the National MS Society, Lone Star at 888-999-7992.

With the continued support of communities and fundraising events such as Walk MS, the Society has been able to significantly increase the percentage of funds devoted to research, programs and services, including driving major clinical trials for new MS drugs, boosting financial assistance for families living with MS, and expanding the roster of wellness and exercise programs offered to people with MS.

Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women as men being diagnosed with the disease. Every hour, someone is newly diagnosed with MS.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. In 2009 alone, through its national office and 50-state network, the Society devoted over $132 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested nearly $36 million to support 375 research projects around the world. The National MS Society, Lone Star serves more than 56,000 individuals affected by MS. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at jointhemovementlonestar.org

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867.