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Twenty-four-year-old Amy will be participating in the MS Walk + Fun Run as an MS ambassador. Photo: Eva Schroeder.
Walking for MS awareness Three years ago, 21-year-old Amy’s life changed forever on a holiday in Thailand. She experienced a debilitating headache and complete blindness in the left eye; she was flown home, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis seven months later. Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system, which interferes with the nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Amy, now 24, is living with multiple sclerosis and is committed to raising awareness and funds for the organisation MS, which is the leading source of information, advice and support services for people living with the disease. “They have such a large range of support services and there is always someone to talk to with questions or concerns,” Amy says. “It gave me a place to go to after my diagnosis to
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start learning about the management of multiple sclerosis.” In her role as an ambassador, Amy will be walking in the upcoming Canberra MS Walk + Fun Run to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for research, treatment options and support services. A “carefully curated day out”, the MS Walk + Fun Run is held in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra every year, and consists of a 10km fun run and a 5km walk. Funds raised from donations go to MS, ensuring programs such as MS Connect and MS Advisor can continue to provide people living with multiple sclerosis access to specialist advice and guidance about living with the disease and managing their symptoms. For Amy, the support of MS has been vital in managing her disease, as well as support from her family,
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friends and employer. She says she likes to focus on the present, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet to give her body the best chance against multiple sclerosis, which ties in with this year’s event theme of ‘health and wellbeing’. “I don’t like to project into the future and think about what might happen,” she says. “It’s such an unpredictable disease; it’s hard to know what’s going to happen. You just have to hope for the best and live your life like you were going to.” The Canberra MS Walk + Fun Run will be held on Sunday 29 April from 9am, starting at Rond Terrace, Lake Burley Griffin. The course is fully accessible to wheelchairs, mobility scooters and prams. Entry fees are $60 for adults, $40 children, free for people living with MS. For more information and to register, visit mswalk.org.au - Libby Kimber
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