MS walk

This morning we went to the MS walk, this is the 2nd year we have done it and it would have been the third but I was a new mommy of twins at this event last year, so we had to skip it. MS means alot of our family. One of my good friends (Cameron her dad is John) dad has MS, one of Lonnie's cousins(Patrick), and his co-worker renee's mother passed from MS(kim), and one of my kids at the gym mother has MS(shelly).This is where our team name came from "Walking for Kim, John, Patrick, and Shelly." So we are all surrounded, and I bet if you asked 5 people at least one of them would know someone with MS, once you start talking about it, people come out of the wood works.

Here is the story of our team, please read! We love for new walkers to join, so come join our team next year! This was taken from the MS website for our team.

Kimberly McDowell was diagnosed in the 80's at the age of 22 with M.S. She lived at a time where not many people, including physicians, knew what the disease was & how to treat it. Kim had one of the rarest forms of the disease, the Progressive-Relapsing in which only about 5% of people diagnosed with M.S have. There were no advanced medicines as there are today & she was given only things to cure her symptoms, which in turn, made her condition worse due to side effects from those medications. She lived some of her life with a cane/walker...then spent a decade or more in a wheelchair, before having to be admitted to a nursing home for her last five years. She passed away on Memorial Day of 2006 at the age of 46. Her life gives us hope of the advanced technology and treatments available to those recently diagnosed and dreams that are now closer upon us than ever before to find a cure. Her daughter, Renee McDowell, is team captain & Chairman of the Walk.




John Chewning, was diagnosed with MS in 1995. He has been a highschool math teacher for 37 years and has been very determined to continue teaching, which is a passion of his. Before his diagnosis, he was at school all day and coaching indoor and outdoor highschool soccer after school. Since his diagnosis with MS, he has physically slowed down a bit teaching 3 sections of highschool math and spectating highschool sports, but maintains the same positive attitude he's had all his life. In April of 1996, he was in a wheelchair because his MS began affecting his ability to walk. He was hospitalized during this time for a while, however by July of 1996, he was walking again. He currently walks with the assistance of 2 canes and in December '07 was able to walk me down the aisle at my wedding. He is currently giving himself treatments to help with his MS. We all want to help find a cure for this disease, so please come out, show your support and "Walk MS"..



Patrick Farmer was diagnosed in 2009 at the age of 26. He was not too familiar with the disease when he was diagnosed, but is learning more about it and how to manage it. Being recently diagnosed, he has access to therapy and treatments that were not available years ago, thanks to fundraising for research, etc. He hopes to live a fun, exciting and MS symptom free life with his wonderful wife Sara & their newborn son Hayden.



Shelly Shuman-Johnson got up one morning in January of 2001 and realized while presenting a training she could not speak clearly and was experiencing numbness and weakness on her left side. After an initial MRI and a 4 day hospital stay she was diagnosed as having suffered 3 small mini strokes because no other indication of MS existed. 11 months later symptoms, including visual problems, increased. A subsequent MRI indicated additional lesions. Further test were run and in November of 2001 Shelly was diagnosed with MS. She knew nothing about the disease, didn't even know what MS stood for, what treatment was available or if there was a cure but in some strange way was relived to finally have a diagnosis that would not take her life. She immediately began treatment of weekly inter-muscular injections of Avonex which she and her family learned together to administer. Shelly realized MS is a life altering disease but refuses to let it be a life controlling disease. Shelly is blessed to have a wonderful family that has supported and helped her deal with every aspect of MS. Without them she would not be able to continue to work full time, participate in her children's many activities and enjoy time with her husband and friends. With the support of these special people she hopes to continue to enjoy a long happy life. Shelly her husband Bill, children Evin and Brooke, along with several friends and members of the FAME All Star Family are walking in this event to raise money for the MS Society. She feels lucky to be able to WALK for MS and hopes with events like this there will someday be a cure!

MS, as for many things, needs a cure! We can do things to help out! Even the smallest thing can make a HUGE difference! Show you care!

We had a fun walk, and the girls did wonderful in the stroller! I walked the first 1.5 miles and ran the second 1.5 miles with my stroller in hand! It was a great walk and I had two TIRED sleepy babies at the end! But it was fun and they ENJOYED looking all around! Until next year...