THUNDER BAY - Marc Larocque was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, a date that is inked onto his forearm along with a tattered red ribbon and an arrow, which symbolizes that every step forward requires a step back.
Larocque is hoping so many people taking steps forward during the annual Thunder Bay Mandarin MS Walk will help make those steps back seem even smaller as even bigger leaps forward are made when it comes to treating people living with MS.
“I think it’s absolutely great,” he said. “The more people that come out the better. It just shows that together as a community it brings awareness and support to people who do have to fight every day of their life to just do basic day-to-day tasks.”
More than 75 people registered for the walk on Sunday and organizers hope to raise more than $28,000 this year for MS research and services in Thunder Bay.
“We have a lot of people who come year after year and have big teams,” said Margaret Jurcic, chair of the Lake Superior District Chapter of the MS Society of Canada. “It’s a family affair for a lot of people. Others just want to walk and support us.”
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system and can cause symptoms such as extreme fatigue, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, and cognitive impairment.
“More and more people are being diagnosed,” Jurcic said. “Canada has the highest MS rate in the world. MS is Canada’s disease. Even people who move from other countries come here and have a higher chance of getting MS, which is unbelievable.”
It is unclear why people living in Canada appear to be diagnosed with MS more than anywhere else in the world. But in the last 30 years, developments in treatments and medication has greatly improved the lives of people diagnosed with MS.
“The medications have completely changed and also the outlook, the whole thing of knowing you have to stay physically fit, have a good diet, look at your stress levels, it’s made a big change,” Jurcic said.
Larocque said when he experiences a relapse of symptoms that include tingling, numbness in his hands and legs, and optic neuritis, the medication that is available now has made living with these symptoms much easier.
“I went from one med to another and almost in a month made my symptoms disappear and has kind of kept them at bay and since I started my new medication, I’ve been doing fairly well,” he said.
But despite advancements in medication, living with MS is still incredibly challenging, which is why events like the Mandarin MS Walk are still so important in supporting people diagnosed with the disease.
“If we can raise tons of money for MS, great, because there will be a cure one day,” Larocque said. “I know there will. You just have to have hope.”
