World MS Day
Today, May 26, 2010, is World MS Day.
Spread the word. Awareness is a powerful weapon against this disease.
I was hoping to have a video from my day walking in a dress and heels at this year’s WalkMS, but unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards. But you can still check out pictures here.
Also, it’s not too late to donate to help raise money for the National MS Society. Every little bit counts!
[Updated the date. March, May. Same thing.]
WalkMS stats
Distance walked: 3.2 miles / 5 kilometers
Ensemble inspired by: Lan Yin Tsai
Height of heels: 3 inches
Size of shoes: 10 (American Eagle By Payless)
Dress donated by: Jeffrey Schoenberg’s AJS Costumes, Burbank
Bike helmet donated by: Enci of illuminateLA and Stephen Box of SoapBoxLA
Money raised: $3,331.00
Members on team: 21
Money raised by team: $12,891.18
Money raised by WalkMS event: $870,792.01
Goal of WalkMS event: $1,200,000.00
Deadline to raise more money: June 1, 2010
Days left to donate: 15
Link to donate: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/corey.blake
Link to more pictures of Corey in a dress: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coreyblake/sets/72157623754072167/
Tomorrow’s the Big Day: WalkMS 2010 – In a Dress and Heels
The outfit has been assembled!
Thanks to the generosity of Jeff Schoenberg of AJS Costumes in Burbank, Enci of illuminateLA & Stephen Box of SoapBoxLA!
And also tremendous thanks to the people who have donated to the cause, helping me raise over $3,000!
Equally tremendous thanks to the many people who have forwarded on my YouTube video to their friends and family, and sent words of encouragement.
If you haven’t donated yet, it’s not too late. The National MS Society accepts donations for WalkMS well into May, so keep it coming!
To follow along at home, teammate Cindy Marie Jenkins will be live tweeting using #WalkMS @cindymariej.
Pictures and maybe even some video will surely follow!
WalkMS 2010 – In a Dress and Heels
Once again my wife Nahleen and I are very excited to be participating in WalkMS, Sunday, April 18, at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Thank you so much for the generosity and kind thoughts last year.
With health care now a hot button and the economy still struggling (to put it mildly), it makes giving harder than ever, yet more important than ever. Thanks to the money and awareness we’ve raised, the National MS Society has done great work to move research forward. We are closer than ever to having an oral medication available that could potentially replace the frequent self-injections currently used for treatment. I think most people would much rather take a pill than stab themselves with a needle every other day. Nahleen and many others with MS have been holding out for that for a long time, and we’re really close to that kind of treatment hitting market.
Beyond that, there are lots of other treatments at risk of being scaled back or eliminated entirely either at the National MS Society or in the medical field. Truly, every bit counts.
So to make this a little more interesting and maybe entertaining for you, I’ve decided to do something different for this year’s WalkMS. Last October, I read a story about an 84-year-old woman named Lan Yin “Eiko” Tsai who rides her old one-speed bike 150 miles for the New Jersey City to Shore event to raise money for MS. She’s been doing this for 26 years – always in a dress and heels. The article has this great picture of her in a green turtleneck dress and embroidered jacket. She is pretty inspiring. Then I started to think about the daily discomfort and struggles that people with MS go through every day. I see it in Nahleen every day. Her courage and discipline are also inspiring. So I thought maybe I could make my 3-mile walk this April in Pasadena for WalkMS more reflective of that daily discomfort while at the same time paying tribute to Eiko and Nahleen. And at the same time, looking like a dork. I know I’m good at doing that
So I’m doing WalkMS in a dress and heels.
I hope this silliness will inspire you to give and/or spread the word to others and/or join our team. Click on that link to go to my personal page at the National MS Society to get involved. I also welcome any donations in the form of costuming or other ideas to pull this off.
Thank you for reading!
Greater LA WalkMS 2009
I just got back from a nice long weekend vacation to the Sequoia National Park. Absolutely stunning and wonderfully relaxing. Just what we needed.
While walking along trails weaving around mammoth trees thousands of years old, I was sometimes reminded of the last time Nahleen and I did some heavy walking.
It’s been about a month since the WalkMS event for Greater Los Angeles. We walked the same path as last year, but the Rose Bowl was much hotter. And of course, the current financial End Times made fundraising more challenging. Despite that, our team still managed to raise $10,000. And where people couldn’t donate, they were inspired to support us in other ways, either by walking with us, walking at local events in their neighborhood, talking about MS to others, or sending encouraging thoughts our way. Everything made a difference.
Like last year, the money we raise will go directly to fighting multiple sclerosis and providing resources to making daily life easier for those with MS.
Once again our friend Rose Kwasnicki and her camera was there with us. Here’s some choice moments.
(Oh and yes, those are Nahleen’s feet at the top picture.)
Here is us with the rest of TeamMS. Lots of people came back from last year and we also had some new faces! Great team and great group of people! Kelly Garver (center with the black shirt) was a great captain. Zena Leigh returned with her husband Conor Logan of The Logan.
Of course, we weren’t the only people there.
Hey, down in front! There’s always that guy.
Because of our mighty fundraising efforts from last year, Nahleen and I were given special VIP passes. This gave us access to a special tent with refreshments, food and, most valuable of all, shade.
It also made us frighteningly cheery.
… although everyone around us was pretty much ambivalent.
Once we composed ourselves, we were back to the task at hand. Walking!
We sure look happy and energetic. Nothing can stop us!
OK… so maybe we took a little break. But it wasn’t our fault. It would never have happened if it wasn’t for all that walking. And the hot hotness. And not the sexy kind of hot hotness, but the temperature kind where you get unsexy hot. For further proof, there’s this:

But we got back on our feet and made it to the finish line!
Here’s Nahleen at the finish line getting her Medallion of Walkery!
Exhausting yet inspiring. Thank you to everyone who participated in some way. And congratulations to those who walked. Each foot step is bringing us closer to putting multiple sclerosis in its place, and giving hope and strength to those who live with it still.
WalkMS aftermath
I’m still collecting pictures and recovering from the record heat we braved for WalkMS, but one of our team members actor Zena Leigh has posted on her blog about the day with plenty of pictures.
More soon!
WalkMS ’09 is nigh
Thank you so much for all of you who have donated! This year in particular, every dollar is precious to everyone. It takes a lot of courage to part with your hard-earned money no matter how worthwhile the cause. Thank you also to those who joined our team or are also walking with another team. I’m inspired by the great generosity and selflessness I’ve witnessed this year.
For those who have yet to donate, it’s not too late. In less than 24 hours, Nahleen and I will be putting foot to pavement. Every dollar makes a difference. $1. $2.50. $5. $25. Whatever you’re comfortable with, it does just as much good. I’ve seen first hand the invaluable work the National MS Society does. They have directly helped my wife and I in the day-to-day challenges of multiple sclerosis. If you can’t donate this year, I understand. Your emotional and spiritual support is equally valuable.
Like last year, I’ll be bringing some cameras along. If something comes together, I’ll post a video. I’ll also post pictures.
Thank you for your support!







