Local teen's senior project worthwhile, personally gratifying
By James Moate Endeavor News

Jackie Richnafsky pauses briefly after Sunday's MS Walk.

Cameron County High School senior Jackie Richnafsky didn't have to look far to find a worthwhile and personally gratifying graduation project.

Her mother, Laurie Richnafsky, is one of approximately 300 people in Cameron, Potter, McKean and Elk counties who cope with the physical limits of multiple sclerosis every day. For a long time, Jackie has wanted to "do something."

Thanks to a contact with Renee Mitchko from the National MS Society, she came up with a plan.

Last Sunday, under clear blue skies at the high school track, about 40 men, women and children showed up to make it a reality. They circled the track raising money and spreading good will as part of an MS Walk to support the society's Allegheny District Chapter.

"Jackie deserves a lot of credit for pulling this together," said Mitchko, who came to Emporium from Pittsburgh to participate in the walk. "She did an outstanding job. It was extraordinary that she was able to not only help her mother, but to help others with MS."

Mitchko pointed out that Jackie and her mother performed all of the legwork in the community.

"All we did was provide the registration process and necessary paperwork," Mitchko continued. "Jackie and Laurie took it from there. They approached local businesses and organizations for support and deserve all of the credit."

Money that was pledged by individuals and business sponsors will be collected and donated to the MS Society. It could be used in any number of ways: medical support, information and referrals, nursing care, exercise and wellness programs, the self-help program in St. Marys and research.

Laurie Richnafsky was at the event helping Jerry and Mary Lee Bonfardine and Kathy Anderson hand out free fruit, water and healthy snacks to walkers as they circled the track. Two other women with MS were also in attendance at the event.

MS, a chronic disease of the central nervous system, has no cure, and effective treatments are mostly in the experimental stage. It prevents movement by interrupting the flow of information between the body and the brain.

Jerry Bonfardine handed out beverages to participants at Sunday's MS Walk. In the upper photo (from left) Laurie Richnafsky, Kathy Anderson and Mary Lee Bonfardine operate a refreshment stand to help the walkers. Laurie, who has multiple sclerosis, helped her daughter Jackie organize the event to support the Allegheny District Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Mitchko pointed out that some MS victims never know what to expect from day to day. The disease can cause spontaneous symptoms, such as numbness and blurred vision, or it can become more severe and leave one paralyzed.

"Many have trouble imagining what their lives would be like without being able to move," Mitchko pointed out. "People living with MS understand that moving isn't always guaranteed. Things can be going really good one day and then the next day might bring extreme pain and difficulty."

The Allegheny District MS Chapter holds more than a dozen fund-raising walks and other high-profile events each year. Funds generated in 2007 alone total more than $845,000. Additionally, the "MS 150" bike run from Pittsburgh to Lake Erie raises more than $1 million annually.

These are among the participants who turned out at the Cameron County High School track for Sunday's MS Walk, a graduation project by CCHS senior Jackie Richnafsky. More than 35 walkers circled the track. Individual and business donations totaled more than $1,100. The Richnafsky's had the idea of conducting an MS Walk in Emporium while attending the annual MS Walk in DuBois. James Moate photos

The organizers expressed their appreciation to the participants and other volunteers who helped to make Sunday's event a success. The primary lunch sponsors were Olivett's Shur- Fine Market, Fox's Pizza Den and Luigi's, all of Emporium.

The Emporium walk has raised about $1,100 so far and pledge money continues to pour in. Mitchko said it's too early to tell if the Cameron County MS Walk will become an annual event.

If other volunteers as enthusiastic and devoted as Jackie Richnafsky come forward, the prospects are good. Will there ever be a cure for MS?

Will there ever be a cure for multiple sclerosis? It might not be too many years away.

The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to curing MS by determining its causes.

Its primary mission is the creation of a large-scale, multidisciplinary MS repository of blood samples and data from people with MS and matched controls.

"We make these samples available to researchers investigating the causes of MS," said a spokesman. "Researchers agree to return the data they generate from the samples so that results from disparate experiments can be combined."

Accelerated Cure Project is also developing a database to document what is known and not known about the causes of MS. This is a step toward discovering the causes of MS in the shortest possible time through the use of the MS repository.

MS affects more than 400,000 people in the US and 2 million individuals worldwide.