On May 4 at Field No. 5 (The parking field near the theater) at Jones Beach, Team Hope, for the second year, will be walking to raise money to combat MS.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is known as the "Prime of Your Life Disease." There is no cure. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person's healthy tissue. MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness, severe pain and more. Having multiple sclerosis means that you may not be able to walk when you wake up, problems that may be permanent or may come and go.

Team Hope needs the help of every resident in the New Hyde Park/Williston Park area so that the Long Island Chapter of the National MS Society can continue to provide programs and services for Long Island families struck by MS.

The symptoms of MS are different and devastating for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day. For the 42,000 people in New York and some 400,000 nationwide, that hour has already arrived. Each case of MS is as unique as the people who have it. It's not easy to pinpoint the cause of MS and so far, the cure rests solely on continued research.

Your donation will help fund more than 300 multiple sclerosis research projects. Please consider making a donation on our team's behalf to help us reach our fundraising goal. It's faster and easier than ever to support the fight against MS: online donations can be made simply by going to our team page at www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/TEAMHOPE, you can click join team and become a team member or you can click on any team members name to sponsor.

If you prefer, you can send a donation made payable to the National MS Society to 71 Atlantic Avenue Garden City Park, New York, 11040. Please write TEAM HOPE and/or who you'd like to sponsor in the memo.

Please feel free to check out our personal pages and check in on our fundraising progress! Your support is so important to those living with MS. Please know your contribution can, and will make an immediate difference for everyone who must face the unpredictable nature and consequences of having MS. Your support is appreciated.