b"MS Focus ActivitiesGGiivviinnggBBaacckk::BBrriinnggiinnggtthheeHHeeppppnneerrMMSSWWaallkkbbaacckkttoolliiffeeOne-mile walk creates fun morning,forum for MS facts.By Barb OrwickMy friend, Merilee McDowell, began therestaurant, you must be ready for an hour drive. Heppner MS Walk in 1997. She was diagnosedTo get to our MS support meeting is almost an with MS when she was 22. She began herhour-and-a-half drive. The nearest neurologist journey before there were medications or muchis in another state and an hour-and-a-half drive. understanding of this disease. When the NationalOne of my friends said, This isn't rural Oregon, Society for Multiple Sclerosis started sponsoringthis is the frontier! The population of Heppner walks, Merilee initiated this activity in Heppner,is about 1,200, when including the next two Ore. This was a big party involving lots of helpers,towns in our valley, the population grows to about walkers, food, and prizes. Businesses were1,800. To put into perspective, approximately involved in donating door prizes and nancial1 in 3000 people have MS worldwide. By this contributions. Volunteers made sandwiches,rationale, what should be 5.4 cases in our valleys registered walkers, took in contributions, andpopulation is 13 cases! made walkers know they were celebrated. PeopleSeveral years ago in the 1990s, the Tri-County came not from just our county but nearbyOregon MS Support Group began. They met counties as well. The NSMS was enthused.in the small town of Fossil. There were no They brought in their people from Portland,agencies to support the group at that time. Ore., as well as bread, fruit, and snack bars. AtGroup members reached out to MS Focus: the height of the Heppner MS Walk, it broughtThe Multiple Sclerosis Foundation because in about $14,000 annually. they were the only MS agency at that time. Merilee led the Heppner MS Walk for 20The Foundation sent a couple of people to years. Participation decreased, some of theOregon. After landing in Portland, Ore., these workers left, and we all got older. The walkpeople drove and drove, saying goodbye to lost enough that the Society moved the walktrees. Then they turned off the freeway, driving to Pendleton, a larger city.and driving even further into the abyss. Finally Then COVID-19 hit the world. I decided toreaching Fossil, the contingent looked around recreatetheHeppnerMSWalkbecauseIand said, Give these people whatever they wake up with MS every day. After getting thewant. MS Focus helped buy lunches for the okay from our sheriff, we were told if we keptTri-County MS Support Group. This encouraged to six-foot distancing, we could have the walk.the group to continue meeting for 20 years. A few of us decorated scooters and ourselvesThis is the rst year of our group giving back for newspaper pictures. We had a small walkto the Foundation. that rst year, collecting a few hundred dollars. We have grown ever since.How did it work?Let me explain where Heppner is. To getAfter several years without a walk, I wanted to the nearest McDonald's, Walmart, or a Chineseto make people aware of the need to help our msfocusmagazine.org 44"