Katie MacDonald - Bike the US for MS
Yesterday I received an email from the National MS Society, announcing that this week is MS Awareness Week! That in mind, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a post about what multiple sclerosis is, and how it affects people. According to the National MS Society, "multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves". In a person who does not have MS, signals are sent from the brain, through the nerves in central nervous system, to the part of the body that they want to move. What happens when you have MS is that your immune system starts attacking myelin, which is the fatty tissue that protects your nerves. When the protective layer of myelin is damaged, your nerves can also become damaged, which means that the signals that the nerves are carrying can be slowed down, distorted, or blocked entirely. This results in a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from blurred vision and loss of balance to paralysis and blindness. I've included a video by ASAPScience that does a really great job of explaining everything. As always, thanks to everyone who has donated! Since my last post, I have gotten to 10% closer to fundraising goal! Thanks so much to Saskia, Naomi, Jen, Michael, Noah, Ted, and Dan & Jessie. Thanks also to the two anonymous donors from this past month, one of whom is living with MS. Whoever you are, your message really inspired me, and reassured me that I am spending my summer doing something worthwhile.
For anyone who still wants to donate, you can do so on my Bike the US for MS page. For more information about MS, be sure to check out the National MS Society website at www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS.
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katie macdonald
Summer 2016, I biked 4,295 miles, coast to coast across the USA to raise money and awareness for MS. March 2017, I biked self-contained from San Francisco to San Diego with my friend Carissa. August 2017 I connected the dots and biked from Seattle to San Francisco. Summer 2018 I am heading to the UK! Follow my journey here! Miles biked for MS:
6,800.13
Updated August 27, 2018 Archives
January 2019
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