www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 1, 2014 | 12 Mandarin MS Walk a team effort for Oakville family by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff It started with a life-altering diagnosis and has resulted in a family and their friends mobilizing in support of a cause. After the initial shock of a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, Cindy DiBattista's family decided to turn the situation around by helping others. So began the tradition of pulling together a team for the MS Society of Canada's annual Mandarin MS Walk in Oakville. This year's walk is May 4 at Central West Specialized Development Services, 53 Bond St. Residents are encouraged to lace up their walking shoes and participate in a five-kilometre or 10-kilometre walk, which begins at 9:30 a.m. The annual event, which is held in 160 communities across Canada and 57 communities in Ontario, is one of MS Society's signature fundraisers. It draws awareness to the unpredictable and often disabling disease that affects the central nervous system while it also raises funds for MS research and services for people living with MS across Canada. Friends and family mobilize each year around Oakville's DiBattista family to help raise money for MS Society of Canada's annual Mandarin MS Walk in Oakville. This year's event takes place on May 4 at the Central West Specialized Development Services Building, 53 Bond St. | submitted photo Cindy's husband, Casey DiBattista, who has lived in Oakville with his family over the last 20 years, said this will be the fifth walk in which he, his wife and his two adult children have participated. They're backed by a large group of friends and family, all of whom threw their support behind the DiBattistas after Cindy was diagnosed five years ago. To date, their team has raised more than $100,000 to support Canadian researchers as they make strides toward better understanding why MS develops, how it progresses and how neurological disabilities might be prevented. "This has become a huge support structure for us, which we are very fortunate to have," said Casey, noting how they host smaller fundraising initiatives in the community to gain pledges and donations for the MS Walk. "Fundraising is not easy. Everyone has their favourite charities, but what we have done is made it fun... we laugh a lot which is the key to any success story." He said they continue to participate each year because they're not the type of family to watch from the sidelines. "I can't imagine sitting back and doing nothing," he said. "If nothing else, we are creating a sense of community while raising money (to fight) this terrible disease." Casey said so far, there is no cure for MS. Some of the 100,000 Canadians who currently live with MS may wake up unable to walk one day while others may suddenly lose their vision as the disease, which interferes with the brain's signals to the rest of the body, progresses. The DiBattistas are asking Oakville residents to join them in their mission to help find a cure for MS by making a donation to their team online by searching the team name: Team DiBattista after clicking on the donation tab at http://mssoc.convio. net/site/PageServer?pagename=2014_ walk_homepage. For information, visit www.mssociety.ca. This May, DONATE $2 and get your RED ball or puck Chris, Electrical graduate Skilled Trades Open House WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 | 6:008:00 PM Drop by to tour over 17,000 sq. feet of construction, electrical and machine shops and learn about The Centre's pre-apprenticeship programs. Meet the instructors, speak to students and find out if a Trades career is for you. For more information, call or visit 905.333.3499 x121 | wannatrade.ca 860 Harrington Court Burlington, ON L7N 3N4 Your donation helps Oakville area kids get in the game. 340 KIDS HELPED LAST YEAR QE W al W 1 603 SINCE 2005 @CTJumpstart Ha r s ve te rR d. S Se rv ic e Rd . ke rs Li ne jumpstart.canadiantire.ca Canadian Tire Jumpstart The Centre for Skills Development & Training @wanna_trade The Centre's Channel Fa irv iew St Donate today at your local Canadian Tire . H ar gt rin on C t.