For The First Time Ever In Storrs, UConn Students Prepare To Lace Up & Step Out In Support Of Two Classmates Battling MS

STORRS, Conn. Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects thousands of Connecticut residents, forever changing lives and threatening mobility and independence. In a show of support, for the first time ever, University of Connecticut (UConn) students, professors and residents from surrounding towns are officially prepared to lace up and step out in solidarity for a single cause to end the devastating effects of MS.

The University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn., in collaboration with campus fraternities, will host the Travelers MS Walk, presented by UnitedHealth Group, on Sunday, April 15. Check-in and registration begin at 8 a.m., with participants stepping out at 9 a.m. Lunch is provided by Subway and Coca-Cola.

To date more than 37 participants have registered to walk. The walk event is being held this year in honor of Jessica Lund and Kim Everson, University of Connecticut students and both battling multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis has definitely impacted my life,” said 22-year-old Lund, a senior majoring in early childhood education. “Knowing that my Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi are hosting the MS Walk on campus means a great deal to me. When I was diagnosed, a fellow brother of mine decided to change our service project to participating in the Travelers MS Walk, making the cause personal to us all. Every Brother has contributed something to this cause to demonstrate tremendous support. The response from students has been amazing as well.”

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause is unknown, and, as a result, there currently is no cure. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness and tingling in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness and, in some severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted. Approximately 6,000 Connecticut residents, like Lund and Everson, live with the baffling and unpredictable effects of multiple sclerosis. More than 400,000 Americans nationwide are diagnosed with MS.

The 2007 Travelers MS Walk in Storrs is hosted by Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honorary band fraternity, and the Sisters of Tau Beta Sigma, another co-ed organization dedicated to serving university bands and local music. The National MS Society, Greater Connecticut Chapter expects the MS walk event to raise more than $1.3 million. Last year, the MS Walk raised approximately $1 million. The Travelers MS Walk will also be held at eight other sites across Connecticut on Sunday, April 22. Additional partners stepping out in support include: Biogen idec, St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center and Wal-Mart. For more information, to register or locate additional walk sites, please go to http://www.ctfightsms.org/ or call (860) 714 WALK. To learn more, listen to 96.5 TIC and 97.7 WCTY Country favorites or watch WTNH News Channel 8 and My TV 9 and local Comcast channels.

4/9/07

Karen E. Butler
Vice President of Communications
Greater Connecticut Chapter
tel +1.860.714.2300
cell +1.860.997.4487

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