The Etobicoke Guardian

Ralph Cochrane returned from an exhilarating year-long 23-country backpacking trip around the world in 2005 eager to share his experience.

So he married that enthusiasm with another passion — fundraising for multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that struck his mother in the late ’70s.

“I came up with this idea to raise $1 million for MS in five years,” said Cochrane, 40, who lives in Bloor West Village. “I wanted to create this once-in-a-lifetime experience for people that they could really celebrate, not only for themselves because they’re taking this challenge on, but also do it for a really good cause.”

The community project took flight, with friends and friends of friends signing on to become a team of 23 climbers who will raise $150,000 and hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru this September. To date, they’ve raised $82,000.

Next Wednesday, the climbers host a fundraising Casino Royale night open to the public at Peridot Resto Lounge, 81 Bloor St. East starting at 7 p.m. Dress code is in effect. Attendees must be 19 or older.

A feature performance by The Tewlips is planned, along with charity gambling tables, a 50/50 draw, live entertainment and a silent auction of artwork, Celine Dion tickets, glass-blown art, movie passes and more.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For tickets, contact Hope Armstrong at 416-778-5821 or via e-mail at info@jacksoninc.ca.

Donations to support individual climbers, as well as the team, may also be made online on the    Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada website, where tax receipts will be issued..

More information on the team and the climb can be found at   www.msclimb2008.com

MS is a chronic disease that attacks the body’s central nervous system causing interrupted nerve impulses that may result in vision problems, numbness, loss of balance, extreme fatigue, tremors, even paralysis.

The vision of the MS Climb is to raise awareness of what it’s like to live with MS.

Much more is known about MS — its treatment and living with the disease — than it was 30 years ago when Cochrane’s mom was diagnosed.

“‘You’ve got MS. Go home, and go to bed,’ the doctor told her,” Cochrane recalled. His mother was raising three children at the time while her husband worked and attended school.
“Basically, it was go home, go to bed, and wait to die because there wasn’t any available treatment.”

Cochrane is working to change that experience for people newly diagnosed with MS through the awareness created by the MS Climbs.

“The new face of MS” for many is living an active life with the disease, and knowing that goals can be achieved through perseverance and action, said Cochrane, who leads his Bank of Montreal’s annual MS Walk team to $30,000 in fundraising every year.

“We wanted to say, ‘listen these things are possible for you if you take doctor’s advice, find the right medical treatment for you and stay healthy,’” said Cochrane, who has a close friend diagnosed with MS in her mid-30s.

Future climbs are planned to meet the five-year goal. Next year, climbers plan to return to Machu Picchu, then take on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Mount Everest, The Great Wall of China and the West Coast trail in B.C. are among future climbs being considered.

Interest and enthusiasm among climbers continues to grow. A team discussion last week about a climb in Africa has already sparked 20 people to want to join.

Cochrane also plans to grow his MS Climb group with others in Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary to allow more people to share in the experience, and to support MS research, as well as people living with MS and their families.

“It’s amazing,” Cochrane said of his MS Climb. “It comes from nothing. I created this wild idea: how do I mix my fundraising for MS with wanting to see the world and sharing that with people. And boom. It has just taken off.”