Walk MS 2013 - Multiple Sclerosis Success Story, Beverly - MS Illinois - Chicago May 5

CHICAGO RESIDENT BEVERLY JOHNSON TO JOIN THOUSANDS AT
25TH ANNIVERSARY WALK MS, SUNDAY, MAY 5, AT GRANT PARK

CHICAGO — Longwood Manor resident Beverly Johnson has lived with multiple sclerosis for over 20 years. When she was diagnosed in the summer of 1993 there weren’t many treatments for MS, and she was stricken with the fear of an uncertain future. In 2002, at a family reunion in Mississippi, she got very sick. She became over-heated, lost her vision and she had trouble walking. Once she returned home to Chicago, Johnson decided she would do whatever she could to take care of herself. It was the following year that she participated in her first Walk MS, the largest annual fundraiser of the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and she’s partaken every year since.

“I embraced Walk MS because I saw the difference that even small gestures made,” said Johnson, who is captain of her Walk MS team, Bev’s Crew. “I felt the importance of not only raising money but also talking to others about the disease.”

On Sunday, May 5, Johnson and Bev’s Crew will join thousands of other participants at Chicago’s Lakefront Walk site, located in Grant Park (Columbus and Balbo Dr.). The Chicago Lakefront is the largest of the Greater Illinois Chapter’s 11 Walk MS sites, attracting up to 5,000 participants every year.

Walk MS 2013 will mark Johnson’s 11th year participating. She has repeatedly been one of the event’s top fundraisers, having raised nearly $16,000 in 2012.

“When I hear about all the medical breakthroughs—what the latest research has been able to help discover—and new medications being developed to help people living with MS, it encourages me to fundraise,” said Johnson. “It lets me know that all the money I raise at Walk MS is getting good use.”

Johnson hopes that someday soon that the dollars raised and the ongoing research will help to eradicate the disease. To her, a world without MS means living in peace knowing that her friends and family don’t have to worry about the effects that MS has on the body.

“I used to walk for the advancement of new medications that help people with MS live more comfortably; I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” said Johnson. “Now, I walk for a cure.”

To participate in Walk MS 2013 as an individual, volunteer, or part of a team, visit walkMSillinois.org or call 1.800. 344.4867.

The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move forward with their lives.

The disease affects more than 20,000 people in Illinois and 2.1 million worldwide.

For more information on MS or Walk MS 2013, visit: MSIllinois.org


Thanks to MS Illinois for sharing BEVERLY JOHNSON story...