Time to Give Ashley a Helping Hand!

We're four days into the voting on Facebook for the Intel Vote for a Cause contest, and Ashley Kumlien's MSRuntheUS Inc. has been putting up a very nice showing so far. My great thanks to all of you who have been casting your votes daily to help her cause, which I first introduced here about two weeks ago.

For the first three says, MSRutheUS held the lead. Today, Ashley's cause has fallen to second place. She needs your continued votes - and she needs your help in spreading the word!

With over half a million folks afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis in this country, the chances are you may know of someone who is fighting the disease. Here is a chance for you to help out without it costing you a thing but a brief moment of your time.

Continue to go to Intel's Vote for a Cause page each day to cast your vote for MSRuntheUS Inc. You may vote once each day, and every vote counts! Then, if you would, simply ask one other person on your Facebook friends list to do the same. Just that like that, you have instantly doubled your vote! Ask them to ask one person as well, and before long we'll have Ashley back on top! Let's give Ashley a helping hand, and help find a cure for MS.

Again, my great thanks to all of you who for your support on this worthy cause.

Let's Help MSRuntheUS Win the Intel Vote for a Cause Contest on Facebook!

Last week, I shared with you the story of Ashley Kumlien and her efforts to to raise awareness and donations for Multiple Sclerosis research by running across the country, from San Francisco to New York City, over a six-month period beginning next March. Ashley is currently working to find sponsors for this run, and has been nominated in Intel's Vote for Cause Contest, being run on Facebook. The winning cause will receive $50,000 in co-branded advertising, which would go a long way in helping.

If you are currently on Facebook, I again urge you to help out. It costs you nothing but a moment of your time each day next week to cast a vote for MSRuntheUS, Inc. Become a fan of MSRuntheUS here, and check out the videos Ashley has posted and will be posting explaining how to help.

Voting begins this Saturday, August 29, and continues through Friday, September 4. Each person may vote once each day, but you must be a fan of Intel Vote for a Cause and add their voting application to do so. You can become a fan here.

And please, spread the word to your friends on Facebook. Let's help Ashley win this contest, and then cheer her on as she runs the US for MS next spring!

Run Ashley, Run!

Multiple Sclerosis is a terrifying thing. MS is a disease in which a person's immune system begins to attack his or her own central nervous system, resulting in any or all of a wide spectrum of neurological issues ranging from physical debilitation to loss of vision to loss of speech to loss of cognitive function. At its worst, MS leaves its sufferers virtually trapped within their own bodies.

Not a great deal is really known about the causes of MS, and at present there is no known cure. Continued research has helped the medical community become better at treating patients with MS, but current treatments still only manage symptoms. More work needs to be done to pin down the causes and finally find a cure, but this work requires funding.

I care about MS because, once upon a time, I was tested for it myself as my doctor tried to help me find the cause for inexplicable numbnesses, discomfort, and pain I was experiencing, and still do on occasion experience. We've never been able to determine exactly why I have the symptoms I do (although we feel certain stresses, combined with depression and OCD, both of which I have been diagnosed with, are the most likely culprits), but I was fortunate in that my test for Multiple Sclerosis came back negative.

Many others are not so fortunate. According to the National MS Society, almost half a million people in this country live with MS, with nearly 200 new cases being diagnosed weekly. Worldwide, there are estimated to be almost 2.5 million cases. In June, I posted here about Exene Cervenka's announcement that she had been diagnosed with MS. I know the fear I experienced waiting for my test results; I cannot imagine how someone feels upon receiving the news that their test had a positive result.

Recently, a high school classmate posted a link on her Facebook page to the website of an non-profit organization, MSRuntheUS Inc. MSRuntheUS is, in reality, one person. Ashley Kumlien decided she wanted to do something to raise both awareness and, hopefully, donations, for MS. Her mother, Jill, has been battling MS for the past 26 years, and is Ashley's inspiration.

Ashley is a avid runner, with a specific love for long-distance running. She has taken it upon herself to run quite a long distance indeed: 3,200 miles! Starting in San Francisco, CA, Ashley intends to spend about 6 months running an average of 20 to 30 miles a day, 6 days a week, until she has crossed the country and arrived in New York City. She hopes her efforts will help raise funds through both sponsorships and donations - funds that can be used in MS research.



Toward that end, she created MSRuntheUS Inc., set up her website, and set up a Facebook page so that people can follow her progress. She also hopes folks will help her non-profit win Intel's Vote for a Cause campaign on Facebook, where the winning non-profit will receive $50,000 in co-branded advertisement. If you are on Facebook, you can help her garner enough votes to take the prize. It's best to let Ashley herself explain that process, so please become a fan of her page and watch the videos she has there explaining how you can help. (If you are not on Facebook, please go to Ashley's website to learn about other ways you can support her cause.)

When I learned of Ashley's efforts, thoughts of my own brush with MS and the folks I have known personally who struggle with the disease compelled me to want to help spread the word. I hope you will all consider helping out in any way you can, whether through monetary donation, helping Ashley gain the votes she needs to win the Vote for a Cause contest, or by spreading the word to as many people as you can. No help you offer is too little.

Keep Good Thoughts Going Out to Exene Cervenka

Image by kathyp. via Flickr

Co-lead vocalist of legendary LA punk band X, Exene Cervenka, announced on her website today, "After some months of not feeling 100% healthy, I recently had some medical tests run and the prognosis is that I am suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Apparently, it has been affecting me for quite some time."

Was planning to see X this Saturday night in Baltimore at Ram's Head Live; as of now the show is still on and Exene seems intent on continuing the current tour. While I would certainly love to experience the band live for the first time, the more important thing here is that Exene take care of herself. I have personally known one or two folks with Multiple Sclerosis, and while it is unfortunate diagnosis, it is one that can be managed with proper treatment and care. As one friend who suffers from MS once described it, "I don't live with MS. MS has to live with me!" Exene, take that attitude and keep doing what you've always done!

Please keep good wishes and good thoughts going out to Exene. If you feel so inclined, make a donation to Sweet Relief, an organization that helps musicians with Multiple Sclerosis. And check the tour dates on X's website here, and if you can, go out and support the band. I hope to have a road report from Baltimore after this weekend.