It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Cuivre River State Park, with just enough chill in the air to make you wear a light jacket. The parking lot at the stone pavillion was packed, and the people were lined up and ready for the 17th Annual Walk benefiting the Gateway Area Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Adriana Weber of the National MS Society was busy at the registration table, signing in those who have raised pledges and donations to help this worthwhile cause. Many of the local companies were represented with teams of walkers.

People’s Bank and Trust and the Lincoln County Medical Center each donated an adult wheelchair. Also present was a large team from Harcourt in Troy, MO. Several other teams participated as a group, making the walk even more fun.

Cuivre River State Park has many roads and trails offering beautiful scenery and pleasant walks. Each group of individuals was able to choose their own route for walking. Some chose the trails while others took to the roads. Wherever they chose to walk, they were having a great time, and knew that they were helping a great cause.

After most of the individuals and teams had left for their walk, CountyMirror.com had an opportunity to visit with Mike Gloria. Mike was an over the road truck driver for more than 10 years. One morning, when he was 31-years-old, Mike woke up with a horrible pain in his head. He said it felt like something just broke. He noticed that he had trouble with his balance, but shook it off believing that he must have slept wrong, or maybe was coming down with the flu.

The feeling did not go away. His sense of balance never returned. He began having minor accidents, causing both him and his company to wonder what was going on. He always had a perfect driving record. Then he began noticing that his vision would go blurry and he just couldn’t focus.

Mike was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Before that morning when he woke up with the tingling feeling, he had no idea that something like this was taking shape inside his body. He had a good career ahead of him, and had recently been married.

After hearing Mike tell his story, we were impressed by one thing in particular. Mike had a positive, upbeat attitude. He needs a walker to help him get around, and he can no longer drive a truck, but more than once he said that there are people a lot worse off than he is.

Mike gave us permission to share his story. He hopes, like we do at CountyMirror.com, that the community continues to generously help the National MS Society. To learn more, visit the National MS Society website.

Visit the website for the Gateway Chapter of the National MS Society