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The 2015 Walk MS is Saturday is Saturday at the Scrappers Stadium in Niles
CANFIELD
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that damages the nerves in the spinal cord and brain, as well as the optic nerves.
That’s more than Lynne Pavlich knew when she was diagnosed with MS at 21, just three years after graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1995.
“I didn’t know much about MS, and I didn’t want to know. I was afraid I was going to end up in a wheelchair,” said Lynne, who will be 38 on April 25.
Seventeen years later, she is a wife and mother and a full-time marketing specialist at Talmer Bank’s Howland office, where her husband, David, a 2001 Mooney graduate, works in the commercial credit department.
Both have bachelor-of-science degrees in business administration from Youngstown State University.
Lynne is the daughter of Michelina Biasella of Boardman and Richard Biasella of Cleveland; and David is the son of Judy and Milan Pavlich, both of Youngstown.
People with MS develop multiple areas of scar tissue in response to the nerve damage. The body’s immune system attacks the tissue surrounding the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This covering, a fatty substance called myelin, insulates the nerves and helps them send electrical signals that control movement, speech, and other functions, according to the Internet’s WebMD.
Lynne’s initial symptoms were trouble with her peripheral vision and tingling in her fingers and toes.
Tests, including a spinal tap, were inconclusive in determining the cause, leading her to undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Cleveland Clinic. It revealed lesions on her brain that led to the MS diagnosis.
Lynne has been in the relapsing/remitting stage for some 14 years, which is the initial and least debilitating of the four stages of the disease.
Because of that, Lynne said she has not had to make many adjustments in her life, although she has days when she is tired. She takes a weekly injection of medication that helps control the disease but is accompanied by minor side effects of flulike symptoms for about 24 hours.
She had to go off her medication while she was pregnant with Ava, who will be 2 on May 9 and spent most of the interview asleep in her mother’s arms.
Lynne acknowledged to having some qualms about getting pregnant.
She said, however, she’s been “pretty good” for a long time; she and her husband both wanted a child, and the doctors were positive about the idea.
“I’ve been really fortunate,” said Lynne, who has opened up about herself and MS.
She and family and friends, known collectively as Team Pavlich, have participated in the annual Mahoning Valley Walk MS since its inception locally.
“I want people who know me to know I have MS and that I do the walk,” she said.
Walking is not a once-a-year thing for Lynne and David.
“We go to the gym and walk a lot, weather permitting. Mild exercise actually makes me feel better,” she said.
This year’s local Walk MS will take place Saturday at Eastwood Field, 111 Eastwood Blvd. in Niles. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m.
The goals for the local Walk MS are 400 walkers and $53,500 raised for programs, services and MS research.
Team Pavlich raised $2,600 at the 2014 Walk MS, and is at $2,400 and hopes to reach its goal of $3,000 for this year, Lynne said.
The event is more than a fundraiser; it is an opportunity to inspire others to join the fight against MS and to show support to those living with disease, said Janet Kramer, president of the National MS Society’s Ohio Buckeye Chapter.
“While we want to raise awareness and funds, our goal is to create a world free of MS,” Kramer said.
Lynne and Team Pavlich take that goal to heart.
“MS has made me stronger, raised my awareness and taught me to have patience and be more compassionate and understanding. I want to show others there is hope,” she said. “It’s hard to deal with the uncertainty of MS. But I encourage people to try and maintain a positive attitude.”