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June 26, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 10, 2004 Sisters get vocal on MS walk By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Sisters Shannon Rist and Rene Whyte know all too well what those who suffer though multiple sclerosis go through in their daily lives. Both have been diagnosed with the disease for more than two years. Rist, now 32, in August of 2001, and Whyte, now 40, three months later. They were born and raised in Ashland and now live in Talent. This year, both women are co-chairs of the Rogue Valley's annual MS walk. Normally held at Hawthorne Park in Medford, this year's three-mile walk will be at Lithia Park on April 17. "Most of the community support we have is here in Ashland," Rist said. "And the walk in Lithia Park is a lot prettier than walking through Hawthorne." Currently, the walk has 128 people registered, though the goal is about 300 walkers. The sisters hope to raise $15,000 from the event. It's important to have the walk to make the community aware of MS, Rist said. "I think when people hear the words MS, they have an image in their head of what a person with MS looks like and that's not necessarily true," she said. "It brings awareness and understanding. They realize you can be a regular person and be completely normal and still have MS." When the disease first hit Rist in 2001, she noticed a strange numbness around her ribcage. Within a week, the numbness spread to her legs, eventually paralyzing her for more than a month. This experience for Rist, an active woman who likes outdoor activities like backpacking, it was a traumatic time. Today, she is faring quite well, she said. "I recovered quite a bit," Rist said. "I still have some difficulties here and there - I have to get a shot once a week to slow the progression, but otherwise, I'm feeling good." For Whyte, it's great to have a sister who knows exactly what she is going through. "It's nice to have someone to talk about this who understands," she said. "We have a great relationship with each other and our family and we are not afraid to talk about this." Rist said she realizes the importance of working to improve the lives of those with MS. "If it wasn't for modern medicine, I could be walking with a cane or be in a wheelchair," she said. "I think awareness brings concern, which brings money to find a cure." MS attacks fatty material known as myelin located throughout the brain and spinal cord. Lesions form is varying places, producing symptoms that depend on their location. MS suffers have to deal with an variety of aliments such as blindness, blurred vision, impaired speech, fatigue, paralysis and poor coordination. The sisters said having siblings get the disease, especially sisters, is not uncommon. The disease can usually be found among 20- to 40-year-olds. Women sufferers outnumber men three to one. Their father, Don Rist, a real estate broker in Ashland who lives in Talent, is proud of his daughters' commitment to fighting MS. "I'm delighted and so proud of what they're doing," he said. "They had lemons and they made lemonade." Coming forward about dealing with the disease before the MS walk two years ago made a profound effect in the community - especially with those who have MS and were afraid to come forward, Don Rist said. He knows of one woman who finally admitted to her friends and co-workers she had MS because of his daughters. "They showed it's OK to have MS and not to be afraid," he said. "It really helped. They made a tremendous difference in this community." Whyte agreed with those sentiments. "We want people to know it's OK if you have MS and that you can still be productive," she said. Whyte owns Tresses Hair Design in Ashland with her mother, while Shannon Rist is a marketing representative for a tile company. The MS Walk begins at 10 a.m. at the Ashland Community Center. Those interested should arrive at least an hour earlier. The community center will also host a silent auction. Transportation is available free of charge from Medford. For more information, call Rist at 840-2015, or (866) 204-3165 to register, or visit www.mswaloregon.com. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams