Trabuco Canyon woman with multiple sclerosis is `water walking’ at fundraiser

Trabuco Canyon resident Chrissy Newman, who has multiple sclerosis and teaches aquatic exercise classes, is heading the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s second annual Water Walk MS, a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis research,  starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 5, at Waterworks Aquatics, 25 Waterworks Way in Irvine. Admission is free. The public is invited to attend and cheer for the “Orange County Water Walkers,” who will include people with MS who are enrolled in National MS Society adaptive aquatic exercise classes held at Waterworks Aquatics, along with friends and family members of people with MS.

Newman, with the title of team captain of the Orange County Water Walkers, said about 20 women and men will swim, jog or dog-paddle for about one hour, back and forth, across a 20-yard section of a pool as part of their fundraising efforts. Lunch will be served at the conclusion of the hour-long Water Walk MS. Overseeing the fundraiser is the National MS Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter in Orange County.

“Because MS can restrict movement, it is very inspirational to see these people, some of whom are living with MS and have difficulty walking on pavement, focus on what they can do in the pool,” said Rich Israel, president of the National MS Society’s Pacific South Coast chapter.

For more event information, visit www.mspacific.org, www.waterworksswim.com, or contact Newman at (949) 735-4523 or Lisa Erickson at the National MS Society at (760) 448-8410.

Newman, who was diagnosed with MS in 2004, teaches aquatic exercise classes at Waterworks Aquatics, which was recently honored by the National MS Society with its 2012 Wellness Provider of the Year award. Waterworks Aquatics, offering swim lessons, swim parties for children and swim programs, including water aerobics, has served for the past five years as the venue for the National MS Society’s aqua wellness program. The 32,000-square-foot facility features three indoor pools and a Jr. Olympic-size outdoor pool.

Orange County’s Water Walk MS on April 5 will be held one day prior to Walk MS, a two-mile, fundraising walk with about 3,500 walkers scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 6, at the University of California Irvine.

MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling neurological disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention, is the most common neurological disease affecting young‑ to middle‑aged adults. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. More than twice as many women as men have MS. Symptoms cannot be predicted and can vary greatly, ranging from numbness in the limbs and extreme fatigue to loss of balance and muscle coordination or paralysis.