School community offers support to teacher in walk

FREEHOLD — On April 17, Freehold High School Spanish teacher Rennie Rankin along with 150 of her students, colleagues, family and friends will walk in the MS Walk to end the devastating effects of MS (multiple sclerosis). Rankin will captain the Freehold High School team with a goal of raising as much money as possible for those living with MS.

According to a press release from the MS Society, Rankin was diagnosed with MS in June 2003 and her first symptoms were numbness on the left side of her body. In the spring of 2004, Rankin decided to take a proactive approach to her disease and formed a team to participate in the MS Walk.

As word spread of Rankin’s walk the school rallied behind her and the team grew from just a few to about 90 people and raised more than $4,000. This year her team has grown significantly, 150 people and still counting.

Since last year Rankin’s MS has progressed; it is now affecting her ability to walk, balance, and function on the left side.

“This year it is especially important to me to have a supportive team and raise more money, as I have suffered an exacerbation since last year’s walk,” Rankin said. “The Freehold High School team’s goal is to raise awareness of MS and to make positive contributions in the lives of those who have MS.”

The MS Walk raises money through the collection of pledges by walkers to support research and programs for people with MS. According to the press release, 60 cents of every dollar raised by the Mid-Jersey chapter’s walk will remain in the area to help the nearly 4,000 local residents living with MS. The rest will support research and national programs for people with MS.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. People with MS, which is usually diagnosed in the prime of life (between the ages of 20 and 50), face unpredictable symptoms that can range from numbness and blurred vision to paralysis and blindness.

Because of its unpredictability, the age at which it manifest itself and the fact that more than 70 percent of the people with MS are women, the disease often has a devastating impact on families. The National MS Society supports programs that help ensure people with MS will live their lives with as little disruption as possible. The society advo-cates for the empowerment of people with MS, according to the press release.

Rankin and her Freehold High School team will walk locally at the Marshall W. Errickson School site in Freehold Town-ship.

For more information about multiple sclerosis, the MS Walk or the society and its services, contact the Mid-Jersey Chapter of the National Multiple Scler-osis Society at (732) 660-1005.

For information 24 hours a day call 1-800-FIGHT-MS, send an e-mail to info@nmss.org or visit the Internet Web site www.nationalmssociety.org.