MS Canada held its MS Walk in Saskatoon Sunday to help fundraise for a better quality of life for people living with the disease.
The organization said there was a collective goal of over $4 million in 2024, with the money going towards research and programs and services.
Mona Bates, senior director for the Prairies with MS Canada, said the MS Walk has been ran in Saskatchewan for over 25 years.
“We have over 300 participants here today,” Bates said.
She said since the pandemic they’ve been building back attendance at these walks.
Bates said Canada has the highest rates of MS in the world, adding that there are about 4,000 people in Saskatchewan living with the disease.
Jackie Pilon is a leadership volunteer with MS Canada in Saskatchewan who was also diagnosed with MS.
“In 1992 I was diagnosed with MS and in 2015 I was re-diagnosed with an allied disease,” Pilon said.
She said that diagnosis impacted her life and she had to reconsider choices in her life like having a family or her career.
“Having to adjust and readapt again was another challenge, one that I know everyone would like to see happen, and I’m blessed that I was able to get that.”
Pilon has been volunteering with MS Canada for 10 years, with this being her ninth walk.
“The sense of community and the people around us today is what really drives me and makes me proud to be a part of this event.”
Dr. Katherine Knox, a rehabilitation doctor who specializes in MS, said MS Canada’s support is huge for the research that goes into the disease.
“MS Canada is funding more research than ever that is happening right here in Saskatchewan,” Knox said.
She said her previous volunteer work with MS Canada and the people she met there is what inspired her to continue her work in MS.