My name is Curt Ehlinger and I am one of 18 individuals running with MS Run the US this summer. MS Run the US is a relay from Los Angeles to New York City. The purpose of the relay is to raise awareness and funds to support research for a cure and to help those living with a disability due to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I will be running 176 miles in seven days beginning in Des Moines on June 27 and ending in Davenport on July 3.
I am asking for support from your community. I believe that raising awareness is the key to helping us find a cure and defeating the debilitating effects caused by MS. By being informed and sharing the message we can make great strides in our search for a cure. I am excited that the route connects with your city. I welcome anyone to join me to run, walk, roll alongside of me, cheer along the route, or simply offer encouragement. I am very honored to be running through your community as a way to help bring about a greater awareness for those fighting against MS. I am planning to be running into Davenport on July 3.
I was only eight years old when my Mom was diagnosed with MS. I remember how scared I was when Mom took us to a MS family support group and most of the attendees were in wheelchairs. My Mom was a young mother of four children. I remember thinking, “Is that going to happen to my Mom?”
I have fond memories of my Mom playing kickball in the cul-de-sac with me, my siblings and the neighbor kids. I also have memories of her suffering from MS attacks and not being able to get out of bed; sometimes for weeks at a time. Despite this, she refuses to let it dictate her life,walking three miles every day.
MS causes the body’s immune system to attack the central nervous system. Those attacks damage and scar myelin, the fatty substance that surround and insulate nerves. This damage causes the nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord to become distorted or interrupted, producing a wide variety of disabling symptoms.
I hope your community can join me as I pass through your city. It would certainly help in our goal of raising awareness. If people in your community would like to help contribute funds to our cause that would be great but certainly not necessary. I am doing this because I CAN and for the countless people that suffer from this terrible disease that can’t.
For more information about the MS Run the US relay and why I feel so strongly about fighting MS please visit: http://tinyurl.com/
Please keep me in your thoughts as I prepare for, and run, my segment. May God bless you and your community!
Be Great! Be Strong! Be Determined!
Thanks,
Curt
