By Paul Leighton
BEVERLY — Nicole Whitmore has sent e-mails. She's written letters. She's hit up friends. Even with that admittedly informal approach, she has raised more than $15,000 for multiple sclerosis research over the last few years.
Now the 30-year-old Beverly resident is ready to formalize her fundraising efforts on behalf of the fight to eliminate MS. On Saturday, March 20, Whitmore will hold the first Colie's Cure at Kernwood Country Club in Salem.
The event will raise money for the Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis, which provides financial support for a network of the nation's top MS research centers.
Whitmore has been raising money for MS research since she was diagnosed with the disease in 2004. She has participated in the MS Challenge Walk on Cape Cod and has traveled to California for a Nancy Davis Foundation event.
"One day I said, 'I kind of want to take this one step further and see if I can raise a lot more money,'" Whitmore said. "Basically, instead of just sending e-mails and letters, I decided I wanted to have a fundraiser here on the East Coast."
Whitmore said it can be difficult to drum up support for multiple sclerosis, because the effects of the disease are not always apparent. MS affects the central nervous system and can lead to weakness, exhaustion, vision problems, difficulty walking, slurred speech and bladder problems. Symptoms can come and go.
"If you lined up 10 people with MS, they would probably all look fine," Whitmore said. "They have issues they deal with that you just don't see. You don't know what's next, and doctors don't know what's next."
Whitmore said she has seen a picture that perfectly summarizes what living with multiple sclerosis is like. The picture shows a girl, curled up in a ball, with the phrase "use by" stamped all over her body.
"People who live with MS are constantly wondering which body part will expire," Whitmore said. "You wonder, 'My legs feel funny today. Does that mean tomorrow I'm not going to be able to walk?'"
Colie's Cure — Colie was Whitmore's childhood nickname — will include a silent auction, a live band, guest speakers, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or pleighton@salemnews.com.
If You Go
What: Colie's Cure fundraiser for multiple sclerosis research
When: Saturday, March 20, 7 to 11 p.m.
Where: Kernwood Country Club, Salem
More information: Tickets are $75, available at door or by contacting Nicole Whitmore at nicolemwhitmore@aol.com.
