I have great news: I just recently got accepted to join the MS Climb team to head to Peru from October 9 ? 22 to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu, for the purpose of fundraising for the MS Society of Canada!!  As part of my commitment to the endeavour, I must raise $7,500 through personal and corporate donations. 

I am asking you all to help me make it to Machu Pichu, which will ultimately help to research a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, which has touched my life on more than one occasion.

Please visit my personal donation page at the MS Society of Canada?s webpage: http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2010MISC/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=1172409&L=2

Donations can be easily made online by using your credit card.  (Tax receipts are issued immediately.)  If you would like to provide a cheque, you can simply mail it to my home address (tax receipts will be issued by mail from the MS Society):

Heather MacLeod

526 Geissinger Loop NW

Edmonton, AB

T5T 6T1

If you have any questions at all about MS Climb or about providing a donation, please do not hesitate to send me an email or give me a call at 780.340.1506.

I want to THANK YOU for your SUPPORT !

Sincerely,

Heather

My Story:

For nearly 15 years, Multiple Sclerosis has played a large part in my life.  In 1996, my aunt was diagnosed at the age of 40.  In 1997, my father was diagnosed, at the age of 48.  In 1998, my youngest sister, Stephanie, was diagnosed, at the age of 17.  And in August 2007, at the age of 31, I was officially diagnosed with MS.  On the morning on June 16th, 2007, I woke up and thought that I simply had a piece of cat hair stuck on the lens of my left eye.  After all, with two cats, it had happened before!  After many failed attempts to wipe it away and with the gradual worsening and blurring of my vision, I went to my physician.  The symptom that lead to a series of optometrists, ophthalmologists and neurologists appointments was called "optic neuritis", otherwise known as inflammation of the optic nerve that causes a complete or partial loss of vision.  For a period of 10 days, my vision went from 20/20 perfect eye-sight to hardly being able to see out of my left eye at all.  Over the course of the next 4 to 6 weeks, my vision returned to 20/20 vision again.  I was fortunate in that I had a complete recovery, which is not unusual of Relapsing-Remitting MS.  I am also very fortunate in that blurred vision was my one and only symptom.  The good news is that prior to and ever since my diagnosis, I have made healthy choices to ensure that I am doing everything I can to reduce stress, eat well, exercise often, and embrace life's good fortunes.

My sister and I have decided to join the MS Climb group and embrace the challenges of:

1) Fundraising $7,500 each for the MS Society of Canada, and;

2) Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu in Peru in October 2010

It is with the support of family, friends, colleagues, businesses and the community that Stephanie and I will be able to achieve these two big goals!

The MS Facts:

-       Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).  MS attacks the protective myelin covering of the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation, resulting in "attacks", followed by remissions. 

-       It is the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada.

-       An estimated 50,000 Canadians have MS.

-       The MS Society estimates, based on current prevalence rates, that there are approximately 1,000 new cases of MS diagnosed each year. This means that three more people are diagnosed with MS every day in Canada.

-       Multiple sclerosis is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 40, affecting women twice as often as men.