CULLMAN, Ala. – Early Saturday morning, Oct. 25, participants gathered at Heritage Park for the annual Cullman MS Walk to raise awareness and support those living with multiple sclerosis.
The event was hosted by Dr. Christopher LaGanke, one of the leading MS specialists in the Southeast, and his team brought the community together for a morning of walking, music and fellowship. This year’s theme was “Make MS Extinct.”
“We are out here walking for a cure to fight MS,” said Debbie Simonson, office manager for LaGanke. “MS affects a lot of people in our community, and we just want to show our patients that we care and that we’re here fighting alongside them.”
Simonson explained that this is the third year the Cullman team has hosted the walk independently, after COVID-19 shifted the national MS Society’s events to larger cities. “We didn’t want the Cullman community to be left out, so we took it upon ourselves to keep it going,” she said.
In addition to the walk, the event featured raffles, T-shirt sales and live music from The Salty Strings. Local businesses also stepped up to support the cause, with major sponsorships from High Caliber Mechanical and Glass Excavation.
“It’s important for people to come together to show support and raise awareness,” Simonson said. “MS is a very debilitating disease, and events like this help people connect, share their stories and know they’re not alone.”
During the event, LaGanke shared a personal testimony about how his mother’s struggle with MS inspired his lifelong mission to help others.
“I never saw my mom in normal health. As a boy, I watched her face relapses with no available treatments. It was confusing and painful, but it shaped my calling to care for people with MS and their families,” said LaGanke.
He went on to describe how advances in treatment have changed lives and how there have been incredible breakthroughs in MS. There are still significant needs to enhance quality of life.
“This is why we walk today,” LaGanke said. “To strive for improvement until this dreadful disease is extinct. Today is mostly for fellowship, but also to raise funds to improve the lives of those affected by this disease. Let’s shine this light on all we do, from grieving to celebrating to the routine chores of life. Right now, let’s shine this light as we walk to make MS extinct. God bless and thank you for supporting this cause.”
Learn more about MS at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/multiple-sclerosis-ms.
