Roscoe resident Amy Nagel raising funds, awareness to help end MS through Walk MS, May 3

Amy Nagel of Roscoe, Illinois, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010, and on Sunday, May 3, she will take part in Walk MS, the largest annual fundraiser of the National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter. She will be walking at Khelm Arboretum in Rockford (2715 S. Main Street). Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9 a.m. The Rockford walk — one of 11 Walk MS events statewide — brings people together to celebrate the progress and powerful connections made in the movement to end MS and to raise funds for critical MS research, programs and services.

When Nagel was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she immediately became an advocate for herself and for all individuals affected by MS.

“I felt [Walk MS] was a way I could fight back against MS and I could use it as a vehicle to share my story and educate others,’ said Nagel, a physical therapist who also encourages her patients to be their own advocates.

This year, Nagel’s Walk MS team, Amy’s Awesome Alliance, has over 40 members and pledges to raise $6,000. Her son Grant Nagel, 15, coined the Walk MS team name and helps to fundraise alongside his brother, Quinn Nagel, 11. Most recently, the boys raised funds by selling shoes at school and inviting their peers to fundraising events organized by their mom and her team.

For Nagel, raising funds and awareness for Walk MS has been a motivating experience. “I see all the love and support [at Walk MS] and that gives me the strength and the courage to keep fighting,” she said.

She also believes Walk MS is an empowering opportunity for friends and family members of those living with MS.

“I think sometimes they feel helpless. They don’t always know what to do or how to help,” she said. “[Walk MS] is something they can do.”

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.

To find out more about Walk MS 2015 or to register 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.