Smith, 33, diagnosed with MS three years ago, will be walking with an Athens team, while Barnes, diagnosed in 2005, will be walking with the Gallia County group.
Smith’s team of 12 is called Crystal’s Fighters Team and is composed of family, friends and co-workers at Ohio University where she is program coordinator of the Kids on Campus after-school program.
Teams will register at the Athens Community Center beginning at 9 a.m. and at 10 a.m. will begin a three mile walk along the Hocking River.
Barnes who organized the first MS Walk in Gallia County in 2007 will be with that group at the Gallipolis City Park. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. and the walk will begin at 10 a.m.
She has been actively involved with raising money for research since the time of her diagnosis. “All of the money collected by the Gallia group goes to the local chapter of NMSS for research to find a cure and to provide programs and education for people with MS,” said Barnes.
MS is a chronic sometimes disabling disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve with symptoms which can be mild or severe, temporary or permanent, she explained.
The appeal from both Smith and Barnes is “for people to stand up and fight for a cure for MS.”
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