Rain, Rain Go Away… the Maryland Walk is here today
By Laurie Zissimos
For the second year in a row, Goucher College in Towson, Maryland was the host of the Maryland Walk-Run-N-Roll for SRNA. The weather was touch and go up until the last minute, but the rain staved off and the walk was on. Over 100 participants rallied together to continue the campaign to spread awareness of transverse myelitis and other rare neuroimmune disorders. The morning started out with a brief warm-up provided by Brick Bodies. Next was the greeting from State Senator Katherine Klausmeier, who also sounded the horn for the Walk Run N Roll to start. First out of the gate were the runners, primarily the children, who enthusiastically charged ahead. Next were the rollers followed by the walkers. As the participants passed through the finish line they were cheered on by the volunteers.
One of the highlights of the morning was provided by the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Staff members brought with them their new EKSO Bionics equipment and set up a live demonstration. The EKSO Bionics is a robotic device that allows people with lower body weakness and paralysis to get up and walk. Everyone was excited to see this new technology in action thanks to Delaney Bosworth, a patient from Baltimore, Maryland.
The second highlight was provided by the Girl Scouts of Troop 4242. The Girl Scouts arrived early to set up their water stands along the course. Previously, the Girl Scouts had adopted Delaney as their inspiration for getting involved in giving back to the community. They were so excited to finally meet Delaney in person after writing letters and watching her blog posts since the walk last year. The girls are planning to take Delaney out for bowling and pizza in the near future, an event that will surely make for a wild time.
A huge thank you goes out to the sponsors who helped make our event possible. Returning sponsors include Brick Bodies, C&R Electric, Patient First, Senator Katherine Klausmeier, and Kennedy Krieger Institute. Additionally, the Fresh Market of Timonium in Maryland provided us with several cases of apples and bananas, the left overs of which were delivered to a local mission. Without sponsors, the hard work of all the volunteers and the numerous donations we collected, we would not be able to hold these events. Plans are already underway for next year, which will include possible expansion of the event from State to Regional, sports activities such as adaptive scuba diving and basketball and a fashion show by the doctors from the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center. Volunteers are desperately needed to organize this event. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact SRNA. You will be rewarded tenfold by your participation.
