Hitting out against MS
Published 10:11 pm Friday, September 28, 2012
At Cedar Point Country Club off Bridge Road, a multiple sclerosis fundraiser Thursday hit a personal note.
Golfers and tennis players from the area and beyond, including a PGA member from James River Country Club, came out to show support for Kathy Young, wife of Cedar Point golf pro of 17 years T.J. Young.
Kathy Young is a sufferer of the autoimmune disease, which attacks the central nervous system.
“I was diagnosed 4 ½ years ago,” she said, “and I recently had to leave a job I absolutely adored.
“But I have found great support in this community at Cedar Point; this whole community has really come together to support us.”
Young used to take part in 30-mile walks to raise funds and awareness for MS, but said the events no longer exist in this area.
“My husband was very happy not to have me doing the walk, and we can do this instead to keep raising money and trying to find a cure,” she said.
The golf tournament involved 28 foursomes, and nine people participated in the tennis clinic, Young said.
Her husband put the total attendance at 135 people, she said, and the goal was to raise $10,000, the same amount Kathy Young would raise with her walks.
“When I did my walks each year, my goal was $10,000 (and) I beat that each year,” she said.
“When he (T.J.) talked to me about doing this, he said, ‘Let’s set that as our goal, because you are not going to do that walk again (and) I don’t think we’re going to have any trouble reaching that.”
The Teed Off At MS event also included an awards dinner and silent auction. On display in the clubhouse function room was an informative school project on MS made by one of the Youngs’ two daughters, fourth-grader Reagan Young, which included detailed descriptions of the disease and the transcript of an interview with mom.
The Youngs knew their daughter was working on a project about MS, Kathy said, but had no idea of its depth.
“She had to do an oral presentation and she did really well,” she said.
Living with MS goes beyond the notion of “day-to-day,” Kathy Young said. “It’s not just day-to-day — it can be moment-to-moment.”