Locals work to raise 1 billion dollars for Multiple Sclerosis research

Hundreds of locals joined in on a nation-wide effort Saturday morning, lacing up their gym shoes in an effort to raise more than a billion dollars.

The funds to go toward research and raising awareness about Multiple Sclerosis. The Walk MS Desert Cities event taking place at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park.

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information between the brain and body. The disease affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. Most people diagnosed are between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men.

“It’s one of those diseases where there’s not a lot of research out there or medicines out there. And there is no cure and one of our biggest goals is to fund research projects,” said Katherine Lee the developmental specialist for Walk MS.