Local MS association hosting race for research

Local MS association hosting race for research

By Jack Wilson

 

The Association de la sclérose en plaques de l’Estrie – the region’s multiple sclerosis (MS) association will host its annual charity race, La Grande Course, June 4 for the first time since before the pandemic. The event will fund Université de Sherbrooke research into the disease, which afflicts about one in 400 Canadians.

MS is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms are often unpredictable and can include extreme fatigue, vision problems, difficulty walking and cognitive impairment. Researchers have not yet cured the disease.

“All of the money we make from registration fees will go 100 per cent toward research,” said Samuel Rousseau-Robidoux, the association’s deputy director and head of research. The organization anticipates about 450 participants this year, he said. On top of sign-up fees, the fundraiser will accept donations at the event and online. Rousseau-Robidoux said he expects the run to raise $10,000.

A Université de Sherbrooke matching scheme will amplify participants’ fees and donations, association CEO René McKay said. “We inject money into the research fund, but thanks to the faculty of medicine, there’s a matching program,” he said.

 

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