Thursday April 08, 2004

Wendy Edwards wants to raise $10,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But Edwards' dream is more than a product of a charitable heart.

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly four years ago, Edwards, said she wants to help educate people about the disease.

"My biggest goal with this whole thing is to raise awareness of MS, what's it's about and who can get it," she said. "I think when you put a face to the disease it makes it more real."

A Violet native and graduate of P.G.T. Beauregard High School, Edwards has lived in Virginia for the past 17 years. She has formed a team, Wendy's Walkers, to participate in the MS Walk April 17 and 18 in the Washington, D.C., area.

Pledges can be designated to Wendy's Walkers at http://www.msandyou.org.

Edwards said she felt the first symptoms of the disease in June 2000.

"I had tingly fingers and was soon numb from the shoulders down. I couldn't walk," she said.

A neurologist suspected Edwards had a viral infection in her neck, and sent her for an MRI. Three days later, Edwards learned she had multiple sclerosis.

"I just fell apart," Edwards said. "You hear about these things and they don't become real until it happens to you."

An autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis causes "things that normally fight infection in your body to chew on your nerve endings," she said. "One of the reasons it's hard to find a cure is because there is no pattern to it. It affects different people different ways."

In Edwards' case, it makes her extremely heat sensitive, requiring her to avoid hot showers and becoming overheated. It also sometimes affects her speech, making her stutter, and has afflicted her with psoriasis and arthritis.

Multiple sclerosis is a late-onset disease, affecting mostly women between the ages of 20 and 50. Edwards said she takes the drug Rebiff three times a week to help with symptoms.

A financial analyst with American Management Systems, Edwards said her employer has been very supportive, allowing her to work from home the morning after treatments so she can deal with its side effects.

"I've been blessed in so many ways," Edwards said.

Kathy Roberts, a friend and world champion power lifter, trains with Edwards several times a week to help Edwards maintain her muscle strength.

"You can sit down and feel sorry for yourself or you can do something for yourself," Edwards said. "I think I was pretty spunky in high school, and I think I'm pretty spunky now. I won't let anything get me down."

Edwards said she participated in the MS Walk two years ago with her office team, but this year she wanted to lead her own.

"I already have $2,000 in pledges and 20 people on the team," she said.

And she said she has nowhere to go but up.

"No matter how dark the tunnel, I think if you look hard enough you will find a light," Edwards said. "My faith has helped me through a lot, and I want to be a good example to everyone."