As many of my long time readers know, multiple sclerosis is close to this knitter's heart. I have a dear friend with MS, know many others with MS--many of them knitters, and I work as a research scientist in an MS laboratory here in Oregon.
I was so disappointed to hear that Claudia was not able to ride her tandem bike this year in support of MS, as I had supported her efforts for quite a few years. My disappointment was short lived! When Brooke said she was going to ride, I thought I would try to run a little booster campaign here at Chez NK to help her with her fund raising.
Without further ado, meet Brooke! We work together in the lab and she's also a new knitter. She's been training and doing lots of rides around the greater Portland-metropolitan area and is very excited to be on a team to support people with MS in yet another way. The Oregon ride will cover ~150 miles in the Willamette Valley and occurs the last weekend of July.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and its different state chapters provide funding for innovative research seeking new treatments and ultimately a cure for MS, educational progams, and most importantly, support programs and services for patients and their families. The Pacific NW has one of the highest incidence rates of MS in the world and the funds raised from the Oregon ride help over 7000 people living with MS in Oregon and SW Washington. Like many other organizations, contributions are down in these difficult economic times, and sadly the need is still present.
I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to support Brooke's efforts and to make any kind of donation you're comfortable with to Bike MS: Explore Oregon fundraiser for MS. I've put a new link on the side bar to Brooke's donation page.
As a small token of our appreciation for your donation, I will be giving away two signed copies of Chrissy Gardiner's book Toe-Up! as a thank you to two lucky donors. Just let me know in the comments of this post that you've donated (I don't need to know how much) and I will put your name into a random drawing to take place after the ride.
Thank you, thank you...from the bottom of our little knitterly hearts...thank you!
The camellia and rose images were taken in the gardens where we work!
And that's the Sauvie Island bridge behind Brooke.
4 comments:
I'm in! It wasn't a huge donation but I know every bit helps. I have two family members that have MS so it feels good to know I'm supporting something that could benefit them!!
I'm in too G, and thanks. Go Brooke!
Photographing on lunch hour huh?
Love the camellia process.
I have the book, so don't put me in the pot.
Brooke, thanks for all your diligent efforts! Have a great ride!
Go Brooke! Have a wonderful ride, knowing that you will be helping to battle this disease. I definitely support your cause! NK, part of what attracted me to your site originally was your sidebar with the ALS and MS logos, as we'd just lost a friend to ALS. Now, again on Sunday I learned another friend has just been diagnosed with MS. What is it about the PNW that makes it so common here? I hope you're researching that! BTW I'd love to hear more about your research.....
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