Over the past 15 years, staff, friends, and patrons of the Bow Tie Tavern have raised over a hundred thousand dollars to benefit Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This Saturday they again sponsored a poker run that began and ended at the Bow Tie. Multiple Sclerosis is only one of several fundraisers Mary Steinbrecher and friends sponsor each year. Much of the event is organized with the help of the Road Weasels, a local motorcycle club. Other credit goes to Kim Erickson, Cathy DuCharme, and their good friend Dawn Preston, who is stricken with Multiple Sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person's healthy tissue. MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness and more. These problems may be permanent or come and go.
Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it. MS is not considered a fatal disease as the vast majority of people with it live a normal life-span. However, they may struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing increasing limitations (from the MS Society).
Approximately 400,000 Americans have MS and every week about 200 more people are diagnosed. World-wide, MS affects about 2.1 million people. Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not require U.S. physicians to report new cases and because symptoms can be completely invisible, the numbers can only be estimated.
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| There were bikes....... |
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| ........and more bikes...... |
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| ......and more bikes |
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| Mary Steinbrecher (center) and supporters |
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| A great crowd was on hand again |
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| Dawn Preston (right) and friend |
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Norton was one of the grill masters. That explains how the rest of the
pictures turned up blurry...barbeque sauce on the lens.
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| Watching cards being drawn |
