Niles resident David Alcozer raising funds, awareness to help end MS through Walk MS, May 3

David Alcozer of Niles, Illinois, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, and on Sunday, May 3, he will take part in Walk MS, the largest annual fundraiser of the National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter. He will be walking at the North Shore site at Glenview State Bank (2222 Chestnut Ave.) in Glenview. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9 a.m. As one of 11 Walk MS events statewide, the North Shore walk brings people together to celebrate the progress and powerful connections made in the movement to end MS and raises funds for critical MS research, programs and services.

When Alcozer first received his MS diagnosis, he had a hard time accepting it, and he worried about how his life would be different.

He began participating in Walk MS, but he felt uncomfortable having a team named after him, not knowing what people would think or expect of him. Instead, he named the team after his cat, Gizmo, feeling that those who knew him well would understand the connection.

“Things continue to evolve so that people can now see that it’s me who has MS,” said Alcozer. “Now that I’ve accepted it and feel so strongly about helping people and supporting others, I’m not ashamed.”

He says Walk MS is to thank for that.

“Walk MS is where it all started for me. It’s the reason that I’m at such a good place today.”

Alcozer now walks for other people living with MS who can’t walk for themselves.

“MS is a disease that is very different for everyone, and we have to support each other,” he said. “I have so much positive support in my life, and I want to support others living with MS in the same way.”

Last year, more than 12,000 people participated in Walk MS throughout Illinois, raising over $2.7 million for critical MS research, programs and services.

“It makes things easier to know that there are people who want to help me and are willing to walk in my honor,” said Alcozer. “To see the looks on the their faces when they cross the finish line with me is incredible.”

To find out more about Walk MS 2015 or to register, volunteer or donate online, contact Meghan Melone at 312.423.1138 or at meghan.melone@nmss.org, or visit walkMS.org.

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois and 2.3 million worldwide affected by MS.

For more information, visit MSillinois.org.