THUNDER BAY – Bob Larocque knows about the physical, emotional and financial costs of multiple sclerosis.
Larocque, whose son was diagnosed with the central nervous system disease about 10 years ago, is a board member with the local chapter of the MS Society of Canada.
The organization hosted their annual Walk for MS was held Sunday morning, starting and ending on the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds.
Organizers said they had a record 135 registered walkers and online donations of $22,000, which already surpass the $21,000 total that was raised last year.
“It gives me goosebumps,” he said before the start of the walk. “It makes me very happy.”
Local MS chapter chair Linda Adamson said the rates of the disease are higher than average in Canada and especially in Northwestern Ontario. There are as many as 400 people, and 600 in the region, who are battling the disease.
Adamson said the final amount raised this year is expected to approach $24,000.
Those funds play a valuable role in supporting those living with the disease.
“We have support groups but we also buy for people the equipment they need. We help fund wheelchairs, beds and also fund child care and handicap taxis, those kinds of things that try to make people’s lives a little better,” Adamson said.
Advancements have been made in treating the disease, which attacks nerves in the brain and spinal column and can lead to disability.
New medications, which have only been available for 15 years, have gone a long way to securing quality of life for patients.
Larocque has seen both the positive impact of the drugs in his son, but also knows firsthand just how much they cost.
“With the medications, it doesn’t cure the disease but it prolongs the stability of a person,” he said. “They’re very, very expensive. Some drugs are more than $5,000 per month to take.”
Walkers had the option of completing a two-kilometre, five-kilometre or 10-kilometre distance.
The walk is held locally every year on the last Sunday in May.
