April 3: 13th annual MS Walk

Attention all walkers! The countdown is on to the 13th annual MS Walk at Edwin Warner Park in Nashville on April 3. For the third year, the event’s title sponsor is St. Thomas Health Services. This year’s walk starts at 10:30 a.m., with registration beginning at 9.

There are more than 5,600 people with multiple sclerosis in Tennessee. Every week, 200 Americans are diagnosed with MS — more than one person every hour.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the nervous system. The progress, severity and specific symptoms cannot be predicted; symptoms range from numbness to paralysis and blindness. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20-50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last the rest of their lives.

“We are honored to serve again as the title sponsor of this very important fund-raising event. Our doctors and hospitals are dedicated to help end the devastating effects of MS,” said Thomas E. Beeman, president and CEO, St. Thomas Health Services.

The Mid South Chapter of the National MS Society invites all members of the community to participate in the 13th annual MS Walk. Walkers and teams collect pledges that are used to fund national MS research and statewide programs. Last year, the Mid-South Chapter of the MS Society raised more than $500,000 for MS from walks across the state. The Mid-South Chapter serves patients in 105 counties in four states.

To learn more about multiple sclerosis or the MS Walk presented by St. Thomas Health Services, call the Mid South Chapter of the National MS Society at 269-9055 or (800) 269-9055 or on the Internet at www.msmidsouth.org.

St. Thomas Health Services is a ministry consisting of five hospitals in Middle Tennessee: St. Thomas Hospital and Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Baptist Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville and Baptist DeKalb Hospital in Smithville.