Babylon Native Teams Up Against Multiple Sclerosis

Carissa Agnello, a Babylon native, is pretty busy these days, with a two-year-old, a new baby, a graduate degree in progress, and her own photography business.

But missing the 2011 Walk MS and Pooch Parade at Belmont Lake State Park was not an option. Agnello has been walking in the event since she was 14, and this year she even formed her own fundraising team, "Team Terrible Twos" in honor of her mother Sharon Matzen, diagnosed 17 years ago.

Agnello rounded up friends and family for the team, mostly of mothers of young toddlers, hence the name, which raised over $200.

Now a Lindenhurst resident, she first participated when she was a teenager trying to deal with the repercussions her mother's diagnosis had on her family, and credits the fundraiser with offering hope and camaraderie to her family in the face of a difficult condition.

"As an adolescent, the news of my mom being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was devastating, but going to the walks every year made me understand more about the disease and how to cope with it as a family member," she said.

The Walk MS 2011 and Pooch Parade is one of two events held on May 1 every year by the Long Island Chapter of the National MS Society. A walk at Jones Beach was also well attended, but the Belmont Lake location was unique in welcoming dogs, some dressed up in hats and accessories, along for the stroll.

Volunteer Will Kelly, of West Babylon, said the turnout was the highest he could remember in recent years.

"People love to walk with their pets, so having the dogs along brings more people out," said Kelly. "At first it was only a couple of dogs and now it's really popular."

Kelly, who has volunteered for the past 10 years because he feels blessed not to be affected by the disorder, was among dozens of volunteers and companies that donated goods and services to the event.

Agnello's mother Sharon, who appears healthy to a casual observer, is an example of the sometimes hidden nature of multiple sclerosis, which affects almost half a million people in the United States, and can aggravatingly wax and wane in severity of symptoms.

"We live day by day, because the symptoms that affect my mom can be mild one day and severe the next. She needs to be sure to live as stress-free as possible, for stress can trigger an exacerbation. Not too long ago she went blind in her left eye. There have been times when she was hospitalized and unable to walk without a cane. Fortunately, she is yet to be in a wheelchair," said Agnello.

The fundraiser generated over $500,000 for the Long Island MS Society, which serves 42,000 people with MS and their families in Nassau and Suffolk. Donations go toward research studies and local programs.

Over 6,000 people attended both the Jones Beach and the Belmont Lake walks, along with an unrecorded number of canine participants. For more upcoming events and information, visit the Long Island MS Society's website.