& Nancy

It’s that time of year again! Preparations are underway for the 2013 Challenge Walk MS!

This will be my sixth year walking 50 miles over three days in Door County in September.  My friend, Amy, is also back this year.  We are excited to once again walk to raise awareness and money for the fight against multiple sclerosis.  We walk for my dad, Marty, who has MS.  Our team name also includes Clyde, my dad’s cane.  The fact that my dad named is cane gives you an idea of how he lives with MS every day.  But our team name will also have a new addition for this year.

My mom and dad have been married for 41 years.  For 16 of those years, MS has been a part of their relationship as well.  I think it’s fair to say that MS has brought some challenges, but they have learned how to deal with it.  I live an hour and a half away so I don’t see these challenges every day.  But my mom does.  When my mom recently had a health scare of her own, I got a glimpse of these challenges.

My dad called to say that my mom was in the hospital.  By the time I got there, we were all thankful that she was doing really well but she was going to stay overnight for observation.  After asking my mom how she was doing, she immediately started talking about what I needed to do at home to help my dad.  I wrote down the list of pills.  I got an overview of their daily routine.  I was thankful to hear that my dad would be able to give himself his shot on his own that night.

But the list of things to do was minor compared to the feeling that too much felt out of my control.  I was worried.  I didn’t want anything to happen.  The following morning, I was never so grateful to hear Clyde moving along the tile in the bathroom.  And in that moment I developed a new appreciation for what my mom does every day.  Over the past 16 years my mom has learned how to become my dad’s caregiver and live with the worry that MS brings to every day.  It’s a role that she was not expecting to have in the same way that my dad never expected to have MS.

So this year, I’m walking in honor of my mom and all of the other caregivers out there who help make living with MS easier.  We are adding my mom’s name to our team name this year to honor all that she does for my dad and our family.  When we talk about raising money for a cure and for new treatments, it’s not just for the people who have MS.  It is also for the people whose lives also changed when they heard a doctor tell their loved one, “You have MS.”  A world free of MS is not only a world free of the symptoms of MS that can be seen, but also all of the worries and extra responsibilities that come with it.

Once again, I’m asking for people to join us in this fight.  If you would like to make a financial contribution, You can also contribute online at main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/jillh2013.