Illinois Residents to Take Steps Toward Cure at Walk MS (Multiple Sclerosis) on May 4, 2014 at 11 locations statewide

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Illinois Residents to Take Steps Toward Cure at Walk MS, May 4, 2014

Annual Walk Raises Money for Research and Support of People Affected by Multiple Sclerosis

Chicago, Ill., March 10, 2014 — The Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will hold its annual Walk MS event on May 4, 2014, at 11 locations statewide, including Bloomington, Chicago Lakefront, McHenry County (Lake in the Hills), North Shore, Northwest Suburbs (Palatine), Rockford, St. Charles, South Suburbs (Orland Park), Southwest Suburbs (Lockport), Springfield and West Suburbs (Naperville). Walk MS brings people together across the country to celebrate the progress and powerful connections made in the movement to end MS and raises funds for critical MS research, programs and services.

“Walk MS gave me support and a sense of community during the most uncertain time of my life,” said Angel Arroyo Jr., who is his team’s captain at the South Suburbs site in Orland Park, Ill. “It provided me with an opportunity to be proactive about my diagnosis, taking the initiative to help myself and others like me who are living with multiple sclerosis.”

Participants will be teaming up to walk 1–5 miles (depending on the site) on one of the fully accessible route options. Registration and start times vary based on location and can be found at walkMSillinois.org.

“For many people living with MS, this is one of the best and most important days of the year,” said John Blazek, Greater Illinois Chapter President. “Whether it’s through participating at one of our Walk sites, volunteering, fundraising or recruiting a friend or family member to be part of the movement, the amazing turnout of thousands of supporters for this signature event helps bring us that much closer to our ultimate goal of a world free of MS.”

Last year, more than 12,000 people participated in Walk MS throughout Illinois, raising over $2.7 million.

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois and 2.3 million worldwide affected by MS.

To find out more or to register or donate online, contact Samantha Edidin at 312.423.1156 or at samantha.edidin@nmss.org, or visit walkMSillinois.org.