MS Walk

April is the busiest time of year; at least for me.

At work I am in the middle of Dance Season.
At school I am in the middle of Exams.
In life I am desperately trying to hold it all together.

April is also the biggest month of the year for Fund raising for Research to try and find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed with MS 6 years ago, and have been on several different medications and treatment plans in the hopes to try to control the effects of the disease.
Most of the time I'm doing very well. At the moment my body seems to be holding up remarkably well, but this has not always been the case.
I have been temporarily paralyzed as an infant, and in my adolescence, I am partially blind in one eye, I cannot feel my toes and I have decreased sensitivity all over my body (ie, if my phone vibrates in my pocket, 90% of the time, I will not feel it) and this is at a good time.

I am not upset with the cards I have been dealt. The challenges I have faced have made me a fighter, and a strong willed and stubborn person; in a good way (i think). I have risen to the occasion and make peace with my situation everyday, I am glad for my current good health and I am thankful for the recoveries I have made in the past.
Every year since my diagnosis my family and friends and I have walked in the Super Cities Walk for Multiple Sclerosis. I believe that my family and friends walk to support me, I walk for everyone else. 

There are many other people who are in worse shape than I am. There are people who have been fighting this disease for longer than I, there are people who have just received their diagnosis and there are people anxiously awaiting a diagnosis. There are people who have been more permanently affected (whether physically or psychologically) by this disease than I have, and I raise funds and walk every year to give them hope.

If you have MS, or know someone who is affected by the disease please make sure that they know that there are thousands of people out there that are supporting them, wishing and praying for a cure and doing what they can; even if it's just giving pocket change, to raise money for MS research.
Last year, the chapter of the MS Walk that my team attended raised over $50,000.

If you can, please support myself, or my team by pledging us. Brandy's Bandits.

My page:
http://mssoc.convio.net/site/TR/MSWalk/OntarioDivision?px=1228615&pg=personal&fr_id=1294

or my team:
http://mssoc.convio.net/site/TR/MSWalk/OntarioDivision?pg=team&fr_id=1294&team_id=5794

Thank you for your support.

***PLEASE NOTE***
If you have MS, have a friend or family member who has MS, or are affected by this disease in any way, I am available and willing to answer ANY questions that you may have to the best of my abilities, and I would love to support you however I can.
If you want to reach out to me, don't be shy, please feel free. I want to help.
I can share tips, tricks, warning signs, diets, everything and anything that has been helping me to keep MS at bay.

MS FACTS:
-MS is a complex degenerative disease that affects the nervous system
-MS affects men and women
-Women are more than 3 times more likely to develop MS than men
- It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 18-40
-Canadians have the highest rates of people living with MS
-Everyday 3 more Canadians are diagnosed with MS