Letter - TRAM was a successful event

To the editor:

On behalf of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter, I’d like to extend a special thank you to the residents of Alexandria for hosting nearly 1,000 riders and volunteers during the 21st annual Bike MS: Star Tribune TRAM Ride. We raised more than $800,000 toward a world free of multiple sclerosis!

TRAM, or The Ride Across Minnesota, is a weeklong MS Society bike event that raises money to address the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education and providing programs and services to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. Your hospitality meant so much to the cyclists, the Minnesota Chapter staff and volunteers. The Douglas County Fairgrounds were the perfect start and finish to the week.

Every hour, someone is diagnosed with MS, a chronic disease of the central nervous system for which there is no cure. MS interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and stops people from moving. For some, this means living with unpredictable symptoms like numbness, blurred vision and fatigue, which can come and go without warning. For others, it means more permanent damage, like paralysis. For friends and family members, it means not knowing what the day will bring for their loved one. This is why events like TRAM are so important, and why we are so grateful for your support.

Thank you again, on behalf of the riders, MS Society staff and volunteers, and the nearly 10,000 families living with MS in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. You helped us move closer to ending this disease.

Holly Anderson, president

National MS Society, Minnesota Chapter, Minneapolis, MN

Tags: opinion, letters, anderson, tram