Schaumburg resident Lorraine Rogers raising funds, awareness to help end MS through Walk MS, May 3

Lorraine Rogers of Schaumburg, Illinois, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in July 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 the St. Charles, Illinois, location, Pottawatomie Park (8 North Ave.) — one of 11 Walk MS sites statewide. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9 a.m. Walk MS 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.

Rogers already had plenty to deal with before receiving her MS diagnosis. Her daughter was born in October 2009, but her joy was quickly interrupted when she learned she had thyroid cancer.

“I was very angry at life at that point,” said Rogers. “I had to spend time away from my baby having surgery and treatment. Then it was summer time, my daughter was growing, and my feet went numb. Testing and MRIs confirmed it was MS.”

She spent the next few weeks in and out of the hospital with swelling of the spinal cord as well as severe migraine headaches. Following a CT scan, she learned that a blood clot had formed in her brain, almost killing her.

“All of these things happened within nine months,” said Rogers of the ordeal. “I wanted to keep it a secret from as many people as I could, so I didn’t talk about it openly. Then I was made aware of Walk MS.”

Though she had been invited to join her friend’s Walk MS team after her diagnosis, Rogers wasn’t ready to accept the invitation. It wasn’t until 2013 that she finally decided to go.

“I realized my tactic of ignoring it wasn’t working out so much. Everyone seemed really driven when fundraising and spoke of how much fun the event was, so I finally decided to join.”

She walked with her friend’s team the first year and then started her own team in 2014. In its first year, her team, Abbey’s Army, which was named for her daughter, became one of the top fundraising teams.

“That was encouragement to keep it going,” said Rogers. “The funds raised at Walk MS offer financial assistance to those who need it. As someone who needs regular injections and has needed physical therapy, I know just how expensive it can be to have this disease. The money goes to research as well.”

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.

“Walk MS really did give me the confidence to face all of the things that happened to me,” said Rogers. “Participating in this event gave me courage to talk openly about having MS, plus it’s a fun event that I look forward to. It puts a positive spin on a very harmful disease. When there is a cure, I will be able to say that I helped make that possible.”

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.