A mother-daughter team from Hazelton is participating in the Vancouver MS Walk on Sunday.
Zoe Linford, now living in Vancouver, and her mother Charlotte, who still lives in Hazelton, are lacing up their running shoes for the annual fundraiser that brings in money for multiple sclerosis research and support programs.
This will be the fifth year the pair has participated and each year, they brought in about $1,000 for the MS Society.
Zoe said she walks to support her mother, who has MS, adding it’s a nice way for them to connect every year. She said they are learning to cope with her mother’s illness.
“She is really active, she is one of those people who does everything,” Zoe said.
“She has a garden, she keeps bees, she is a really good artist, she sews. She lives alone in a big house so she has to keep that clean, she chops firewood to keep the place warm. It has been hard for her because sometimes she can’t feel her hands or her legs get really tired. I can see how that makes it hard for her lifestyle.
“When she visits me in Vancouver and we usually walk everywhere, I have to plan shorter trips because she gets tired really easily, so I have to keep that in mind.”
Their team name is Choose to Use Those Shoes. Zoe said her mom came up with the name.
“It’s all about mind over matter and positive thinking,” she said. “Getting out there and exercising, that’s how she keeps her ability up.”
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord. It affects about 100,000 Canadians.
Anyone who would like to donate to the team can do so through the MS Society of Canada’s website.