One University of Wisconsin sophomore fights for what she believes in, raising more than $22,000 for multiple sclerosis research in the process, and she fights for a purpose.
Becky Hall fights for her mother, who doctors diagnosed with MS in 2000. She fights for her family friend Charlie Siewert, who passed away last year after battling MS.
Since her mother’s diagnosis, Hall participated in the National MS Society Bike Ride, which is a 150-mile ride from Pewaukee to Whitewater to Madison. Before last year, Hall raised money for MS, but never more than $1,000.
Siewert’s wife challenged Hall to raise $10,000, which she did from February to August. While Hall said the challenge was just in fun, she took it very seriously and not only involved her family, but also her community.
One of the main contributors was Arrowhead High School in Hartland, contributing $8,000 through their soccer program to help their alumna reach her goal.
“I guess the way I’ve always approached it is this is me fighting, so come fight with me,” she said.
Siewert’s death “scared the hell out of me,” Hall said, and her fund raising efforts are a way for her to cope with the loss of Siewert and her mother’s diagnosis.
UW professor Ian Duncan said MS is likely an autoimmune disease because it attacks myelin, which the National MS Society’s website describes as the fatty tissues insulating nerve endings.
The nerve endings then respond slower in the brain according to the website, which Duncan said causes bouts of symptom flares that relapse during the first phase of the disease, called the relapsing remitting phase.
When these bouts occur again, he said people recover less completely until they enter the second phase of the disease, when complete recovery is impossible. During the first stage, treatments are still effective and lessen the frequency of relapses, however in the progressive stage the damage is too significant, Duncan said. This is when patients start relying on walkers and wheelchairs.
About 10,000 Wisconsin residents have MS, and while a cure is still a long way off, Duncan said new treatments on the horizon show promise.
The most challenging part of MS is its unpredictability, Duncan said, as its progression is too difficult to determine upon diagnosis.
“[MS is] what’s called a heterogeneous disease because it’s hard to predict how it’ll go at the onset,” Duncan said. “You can tell after patients had a few relapses.”
The reality of her mother’s future is something Hall had to grapple with after Siewert’s death, and although her mother is fine now, things can change quickly.
“She’s got a really mild form, but at the same time next year could be worse, next month could be worse,” Hall said. “Although it’s good now, it could be bad and that scares me.”
Hall has vowed to keep pushing forward, and says she tries to keep in mind one of her favorite Dr. Seuss quotes when things get tough.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
She is continuing her fundraising efforts tonight at the Nitty Gritty. Patrons who come in between 5 and 10 p.m. can get an entree, side and a non-alcoholic beverage for $10, $2.50 of which will be donated to the National MS Society.
