The Great Kate Migration

Most of us take for granted being able to pull on a pair of shoes and go run or walk a couple miles. But what if one day you found that you couldn't feel your fingers as they tied your shoes, that your feet kept scuffing the pavement despite your brain screaming at your legs to lift your knees, and with each step your vision was becoming more and more doubled?

That is life with Multiple Sclerosis. And while the symptoms for each of the 400,000 Americans living with MS is different, this how the disease presented itself to Raleigh resident and spring No Boundaries participant Kate Biegler when she had her first attack in July of last year.

Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease that prevents the flow of information between the brain and the body. Its most common symptoms are extreme fatigue, numbness, loss of balance, and lack of coordination to perform what we think of as simple tasks like walk or type or even speak. In short, MS is a disease that stops people from moving.

Kate has had a rough start. She went from a playing weekly hockey and soccer games and running a 6:36 mile time the first week of July, to barely being able to walk without support by the end of the month. She's doing better these days, but it's a battle every day. This winter, she joined Fleet Feet Raleigh's No Boundaries Beginner 5k program to start working her way back to her old self. At the Thursday and Saturday training runs, Kate and her husband Justin can be found toward the back of the pack, struggling along but always smiling, and always moving.

We're in the business of getting people moving, and it's been our pleasure to support Kate and Justin's fundraising efforts in the fight against MS.

So how can you help? If you haven't already, we encouraging you check out the 2015 Triangle MS Walk and either join or contribute towards Kate's team, The Great Kate Migration. The event will be held on April 11th at the PNC Arena, and there is no registration fee or fundraising minimums, so you only have to fund raise to the extent you feel comfortable. If you've met Kate, you know joining her team will have great time. Further perks of joining The Great Kate Migration include a team shirt, invitation to some super fun fundraising events, and an after-party following the Triangle MS Walk!