OKLAHOMA CITY - If you were traveling on Route 66 Sunday, you may have noticed a lot of traffic with two wheels. More than 800 bicycle riders made their way to the state capitol as part of the 24th annual Bike MS. As they were pedaling, they were fighting multiple sclerosis on a 140 mile journey of hope. They traveled from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, trying to raise a half million dollars for multiple sclerosis research.
"The more we can raise awareness and raise the funds to get rid of this thing, the better off we're all going to be," says Patrick Evans, the board chairman of the Oklahoma chapter of the National MS Society.
Evans says the route through Oklahoma's small towns may have changed lives, simply by spreading awareness.
"There might be people in their community that don't know (they have it)," Evans says. "So if we can raise awareness to say 'Hey, maybe you need to go get checked out', and they see a neurologist, then it's the best thing in the world for them."
Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system which can make a person lose their balance, vision and other senses. They hope to raise a thousand dollars per rider... to travel closer than ever to a cure.
"We don't know what triggers it," Evans says. "We don't have any idea right now. We're getting closer, I think, and the more funds we raise to sponsor this research, the better off we're going to be."
The money raised this weekend will support programs for more than 21,000 people with MS, and their families, in Oklahoma.
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www.kfor.com/links.