Posted: Apr 22, 2015
Mariners Show Support for Noble Squad at Waterford Walk MS
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Mitchell College athletics came out in force to support friend and teammate Lindsay Noble this past weekend at the Waterford Walk MS event. The group, which was comprised of Mitchell student-athletes, coaches and administrators, helped the "Noble Squad" raise over $1,200 for MS research. Noble, a sophomore on the women's soccer, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 14. Read more about her story below.
Story courtesy of the Connecticut Chapter of the National MS Society
WATERFORD, Conn. — Childhood memories can put a sparkle in your eye and a smile on your face. That statement certainly holds true for Lindsay Noble who, at the age of six, recalls a special moment at Walk MS in West Hartford. "I can clearly remember my mom's reaction when she received the award for the biggest Walk MS team," beams Lindsay, whose mother, Judy, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "Each year my two sisters Brittany and Rachel, my father, David, and I would join friends and family as "Team Noble" and walk to raise funds in the fight against MS."
This year, however, the biggest MS Walk team award might just go to Lindsay. On Sunday, April 19, the "Noble Squad," made up of administrators, athletes, coaches and students from Mitchell College in New London, will be stepping out for the Waterford Walk MS. They will be walking for every person affected by MS, but most notably for their teammate, classmate and friend Lindsay, who at age 14, was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
More than 6,300 Connecticut residents, like Lindsay, live with multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease. The cause is unknown and there is currently no cure. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.
"I can remember waking up one morning with blurry vision," Lindsay recalls. "I didn't think much of it but within a few days I was admitted to the hospital with complete vision loss."
Slowly Lindsay's eyesight improved but doctors couldn't determine a cause and she was sent home being told that nothing was wrong. Lindsay's mother suspected the worst and spoke with her own neurologist about her daughter's symptoms. It was at that point that Lindsay went to Mass General and had a battery of tests, including a spinal tap. The positive result from the spinal tap was the first indication that Lindsay, like her mother, had MS.
Now, as a sophomore in college, Lindsay is active and pursuing a career in criminal justice but admits it's not always easy. The support she receives from her friends, teammates and professors makes all the difference.
"There are times when I'm just not feeling well," admits Lindsay, who plays center defense on Mitchell College's women's soccer team. "If I miss a class, I'm not questioned by my professors – it's understood that I'm having a bad day. And if I'm not feeling well at night, my teammates will come to my house to be with me, rather than going out. They do everything for me. I've never been this close with a team; they are my second family."
In fact, it was Lindsay's teammates who approached her and asked if she would mind if they formed a team for Walk MS. They, along with Lindsay's classmates, have organized game nights, movie nights and a dodge ball tournament with all proceeds benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Connecticut Chapter. Mitchell College's athletics department is also showing its support by having each athletic team, for one game, wear orange to help raise awareness for MS.
Team "Noble Squad," named in Lindsay's honor by her soccer teammates, will add nearly 40 walkers to the already anticipated 800 who will take to the pavement at Camp Harkness in Waterford on Sunday, April 19. Last year's teams raised more than $101,000 at this site alone. This year, theWaterford planning committee hopes to raise $105,000. While there is no fee to register for Walk MS, participants are encouraged to form teams and raise funds like team "Noble Squad."
The 2015 Walk MS, presented by Travelers, will be held at 11 locations across Connecticut over the course of two weekends: April 18 and 19 and April 25 and 26. Check in for the Waterford Walk MS opens at 9 a.m. at Harkness Hall and walkers will step out at 10 a.m.
Participants at all sites will enjoy a finish line party with lunch provided by Coca Cola and Subway. The Waterford site will also feature a Mission Station- a new and exciting way for walkers to get involved, get information, earn rewards and gather some team spirit for the walk.
Funds raised by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, through events, such as Walk MS, presented by Travelers, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, and provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter.
Walk MS community partners include WTNH News 8, WUVN/WHTX Univision, WUTH Telefutura, and Connoisseur Media's WDRC 102.9, The FOX 95.9, Star 99.9, and WPLR 99.1. Other community partners include I Heart Radio Connecticut's The River 105.9, WCTY 97.7 and La Puertorriqueñisima 1120 AM.
To learn more about the 2015 Walk MS, presented by Travelers, or to register, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.
To learn more about multiple sclerosis, its effects, and programs and services offered by the chapter to those living with MS, email programs@ctfightsMS.org or visit www.ctfightsMS.org.
About the Connecticut Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society
The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.
