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Emotions run high at Super Walk for multiple sclerosis in Mill Creek
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
If raw numbers could reveal a small part of the late Joe Quinn Jr.’s personality and effect on others, then it’s probably safe to surmise that he left a positive legacy.
“He touched a lot of people,” said Quinn’s son, Joe Quinn III of East Liverpool. “He was a tough-love kind of guy, and everything he said, he meant.”
The elder Quinn’s impact was evident when at least 30 family members and friends formed “Team Quinn” and were among those participating in Sunday’s 2015 Multiple Sclerosis Super Walk. The event, in its 24th year, got underway in Mill Creek MetroParks’ James L. Wick Jr. Recreation Area off McCollum Road.
Quinn’s father was a civil engineer who also served four years in the Army. He died Oct. 22, 2014, at age 52 after having battled MS.
Sponsoring the 4-mile walk through the park was the North Lima-based Multiple Sclerosis Services Agency, an independent, nonprofit business that provides free services to more than 800 registered clients in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Offerings include a loan closet containing canes, walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, hospital beds and other adaptive devices. Also available are water aquatics three days a week, workshops with neurologists and nurses, a summer picnic in Austintown Township Park and a Christmas party every December, noted Carol A. Danus, the service agency’s vice president and a board member.
The agency, which recently moved to the former South Range High School building at 11836 South Ave. Ext., is not affiliated with any national organization. All funds stay in the Mahoning Valley, Danus explained, adding that she hoped Sunday’s walk would raise $10,000.
In addition, the services agency hosts a support group that meets from 2 to 4 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at Canfield United Methodist Church in Canfield, added Rita Chiodo, a support-group leader.
Quinn, who builds and repairs cellphone towers, also praised his father for his ability to offer unconditional support and acceptance to others.
MS is a neurological disease that attacks the central nervous system, resulting in damaged nerves that produce symptoms that vary widely from person to person. Some people continually struggle with the disease, while others such as Debbie Fox’s late mother, Mary Fox, who was diagnosed in the 1940s, can live for decades with minimal interruptions and few relapses.
“She was seriously involved in our schools when we were small,” the Youngstown woman said before embarking on the walk to honor her mother. “She did what she could with what she had. People were surprised she had MS.”
Mary Fox, who served a few months in the Marines during World War II, forged ahead with her life and never complained about her condition. She was able to function well until about five years before she died in 2007 at age 92, said Debbie, a retail agent with Marshall’s department store in Boardman.
“She was a spitfire,” added Debbie’s sister, Diane Fox of Youngstown, who also walked. “She was very social and loved her Croatian heritage.”
Diane Fox, who worked for General Electric and retired after having served 20 years in the Air Force, said her mother also loved to travel and refused to allow the disease to slow her down.
“She was ready to go anywhere at any time,” Diane added.
For more information about resources, call the Multiple Sclerosis Services Agency at 330-533-6772 or Carol Danus, the agency’s vice president, at 330-718-9283.