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This 90-year-old didn't hear back from Obama. So she's walking to the White House.

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Aspen Institute

If you want to walk across the country, you need a few things: passion, persistence, and good shoes.

Luckily, 90-year-old Opal Lee has all three.

Lee set out on foot from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2016, with a mission to walk all the way to Washington D.C. And no, it's not just for exercise, a Guinness record, or some sort of Forest Gump-level brush with boredom.


Lee is driven by something much bigger: purpose.

Photo by Daniel Carde for The Shorthorn, used with permission.

Lee's purpose goes back to a day called Juneteenth.

In 1865, two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and months after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Major General Gordon Granger and Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that all slaves were officially free.

He delivered the announcement on June 19, 1865 (June + Nineteenth), and Juneteenth began.

Today, many people celebrate the holiday individually with barbecues and backyard parties. But Opal Lee would like to see it turn into a day of service, similar to Martin Luther King Jr. Day — complete with job fairs, educational opportunities, and support for victims of abuse.

"It just can't be the frivolity that people think of it as," she said. "We have an opportunity to help."

B.J. Chiszar (C) helps Robert Jackson (L) and John Albritton (R) fill out a form applying for restoration of their civil rights during a Juneteenth event in Miami, Florida. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

That's why Lee is walking all the way to Washington, D.C. — to hand deliver a petition to President Obama about making Juneteenth a National Day of Observance.

She's been working with her local Juneteenth organization for the past 40 years. Her local organization has appealed to Congress and previous presidents over and over again, hoping to take the event national.

So far, nothing has caught the White House's attention, which is why Lee's taking a different tactic this time around.

"I thought, if a 90-year-old got out there walking toward Washington, D.C., from Fort Worth, Texas, somebody would take notice," she said. "And maybe they would decide they wouldn't want that little old lady dying on their watch, and they'd invite me up there so I could tell 'em what I've got on my mind."

Lee won’t walk all 1,400 miles from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C, but she will walk most of them.

Rain or shine, she typically walks two miles in the morning and two in the afternoon every day. She jumps to different cities along the route, including Texarkana, Shreveport, and St. Louis, welcomed by by churches, schools, NAACP chapters, and anyone else who will have her.

Each day, she dons a reflective vest and her sturdy walking shoes.

Photo by Daniel Carde for The Shorthorn, used with permission.

And she sets out, sign in hand, to take on the day's mileage.

Photo courtesy of Opals Walk 2 DC/Facebook.

Strangers, local groups, and churches have organized around her, some honking and cheering from their cars.

Photo by Daniel Carde for The Shorthorn, used with permission.

Some even join her for a mile or two.

Photo via Opal's Walk 2 D.C., used with permission.

"The support has been fantastic," she said. "I actually have fun doing this."

Photo via Opal's Walk 2 D.C., used with permission.

At the end of each day, Lee often stops to talk to school kids, locals, and anyone curious about Juneteenth.

She also talks about her walk before gearing up for the next mile in the next city.

Photo by Daniel Carde for The Shorthorn, used with permission.

It's not a pursuit for the faint of heart, but Lee is not familiar with the phrase "give up."

Like Opal Lee herself, Juneteenth is uniquely American, rooted in strength and history.

Members of the group Visionz of Tomorrow perform during a Juneteenth celebration in California. Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images.

A majority of states have already made Juneteenth (also called Emancipation Day) a holiday at the state level, on equal footing with "Will Rogers Day" in Oklahoma or "Confederate Memorial Day" in South Carolina.  

Juneteenth Inter-Faith Prayer Vigil for Emmanuel AME Church at the African-American Civil War Memorial. Photo by Elvert Barnes/Flickr.

This day is not just a "black holiday," it's a celebration of gratitude and freedom.

It's a lasting reminder of how far we've come as a nation and how far we've yet to go.

"It should be our way to thank the people who were responsible for our deliverance. The slaves didn't deliver themselves," Lee said. "There were Quakers and Jews and abolitionists and the Underground Railroad — all kinds of people who worked untiringly to help slaves get free, and we need to be aware of that and make others aware of that."

So that's why Mrs. Lee walks: for progress and for a better America.

With courage, heart, and one foot in front of the other, she will get to D.C.

You can help Lee along the way by following her journey on Facebook or her website. And if you're on #TeamOpal, be sure to  read and sign her official White House petition too. The first petition expired before it reached the necessary 100,000 signatures, but again, giving up is not something Opal Lee does. Ever.

After all, she's just keeping the movement going until the next generation steps up.

"I'm optimistic that somewhere along the line, the young people are gonna take the reigns and they're gonna do a lot better than I've done over the years," Lee said

Photo via Opal's Walk 2 D.C., used with permission.

Those are big, sturdy shoes to fill. But we owe it to her and generations of Americans to give it our best shot.

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Three women, three MS journeys: How multiple sclerosis looks different for everyone

Gina, Nathalie and Helga share their reactions to being diagnosed with MS and how they stay informed and positive in the face of ever-changing symptoms.

Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga, Nathalie and Gina all have MS, and their experiences show how differently the disease can manifest.

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It’s been 155 years since neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the first lecture on a mysterious progressive illness he called “multiple sclerosis.” Since then, we’ve learned a lot. We know MS causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, including damaging the brain and spinal cord. Resulting symptoms can be debilitating and include fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems and weakness. Huge advancements in our understanding of MS and its underlying causes, as well as treatment advances, have been made in the past few decades, but MS remains a complex and unpredictable reality for the 2.8 million+ people diagnosed around the world.

Ironically, the only real constant for people living with MS is change. There’s no set pattern or standard progression of the disease, so each person’s experience is unique. Some people with MS have mild symptoms that worsen slowly but sometimes improve, while others can have severe symptoms that drastically alter their daily lives.

All people with MS share some things in common, however, such as the need to stay informed on the ever-evolving research, find various lines of support and try to remain hopeful as they continue living with the disease.

To better understand what navigating life with MS really looks like, three women shared their MS stories with us. Their journeys demonstrate how MS can look different for different people and interestingly, how the language used to talk about the disease can greatly impact how people understand their realities.

woman with horse, woman riding horseGina loves riding her horse, Benita.Courtesy of Sanofi

Gina—Hamburg, Germany (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2017)

When her youngest son was 4 months old, Gina started having problems with her eye. She’d soon learn she was experiencing optic neuritis—her first symptom of MS.

“Immediately after the diagnosis, I looked up facts on MS because I didn’t know anything about it,” Gina says. “And as soon as I knew what could really happen with this disease, I actually got scared.”

As her family’s primary income provider, she worried about how MS would impact her ability to work as a writer and editor. Her family was afraid she was going to end up in a wheelchair. However, for now, Gina’s MS is managed well enough that she still works full-time and is able to be active.

“When I tell somebody that I have MS, they often don't believe me the first time because I don't fulfill any stereotypes,” she says.

Overwhelmed by negative perspectives on living with MS, Gina sought support in the online MS community, which she found to be much more positive.

“I think it’s important to use as many positive words as you can when talking about MS.” It’s important to be realistic while also conveying hope, she says. “MS is an insidious disease that can cause many bad symptoms…that can be frightening, and you can't gloss over it, either.”

To give back to the online community that helped her so much, Gina started a blog to share her story and help others trying to learn about their diagnosis.

Though she deals with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction sometimes, Gina stays active swimming, biking, riding horses and playing with her sons, who are now 11 and 6.

Cognitive dysfunction is common in MS, with over half of people affected. It can impact memory, attention, planning, and word-finding. As with many aspects of MS, some people experience mild changes, while others face more challenges.

Gina says that while there’s still a lot of education about MS needed, she feels positive about the future of MS because there’s so much research being done.

woman in wheelchair holding medal, woman rowingNathalie is an award-winning rower with multiple international titles.Courtesy of Sanofi

Nathalie — Pennes Mirabeau, France (diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2002)

Nathalie was a teenager and a competitive athlete when she noticed her first symptoms of MS, but it would take four years of “limbo” before she was diagnosed.

“Ultimately, the diagnosis was more of a relief, than a shock,” she says. “Because when you have signs and you don’t know why, it’s worse than knowing, in the end, what you have.”

However, learning more about the disease—and the realities of disease progression—scared her.

“That glimpse of the future was direct and traumatic,” she says. Her neurologist explained that the disease evolves differently for everyone, and her situation might end up being serious or very mild. So, she decided to stop comparing herself to others with MS.

She said to herself, “We’ll see what happens, and you’ll manage it bit by bit.”

By 2005, Nathalie’s MS had progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair. However, that has not dampened her competitive spirit.

Nathalie began her international rowing career in 2009 and has won multiple world titles, including two Paralympic medals—silver in London and bronze in Tokyo. Now, at 42, she still trains 11 times a week. Fatigue can be a problem, and sometimes hard workouts leave her with muscle stiffness and shaking, but she credits her ongoing sports career for helping her feel in tune with her body’s signals.

“Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body, letting my body guide when I need to stop and take breaks,” she says.

Nathalie explains that she used to only look backwards because of the initial shock of her diagnosis. In time, she stopped thinking about what she couldn’t do anymore and focused on her future. She now lives in the following mindset: “Even when doors close, don’t miss out on those that open.” Instead of focusing on what she can’t do, she focuses on the opportunities she still has. Right now, this includes her training for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she will compete for another rowing medal.

“I only go forward,” she says. “Well, I try, anyway…It’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. But that’s what I try to do.”

woman exiting water after swimming, woman with great daneHelga's Great Dane has become a helpful and beloved companion.Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga—Johannesburg, South Africa (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2010)

When Helga first started having balance issues and numbness in her feet, she chalked it up to her training as a runner. But when the numbness moved to her face, she knew something was wrong. She never guessed it was MS.

“When I was diagnosed, I felt completely overwhelmed and clueless,” Helga says. “I felt that I had nowhere near enough information. I did not know anything about the disease…I had no idea that it was going to be a process of continually monitoring and adjusting your lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Helga’s symptoms developed slowly, and she didn’t appear ill to others. She was even able to run for a few years after her diagnosis, but she couldn’t do marathons anymore, and she began to fall frequently due to balance issues and right-foot dragging. Then her cognition issues became more problematic, especially in her job as a trainer in a printing company.

“My executive function, decision-making and short-term memory were affected to the point that I was eventually medically unfit for work,” she says. She stopped working in 2017.

However, she didn’t stop living life. Even though she could no longer run, she continued to swim competitively. She got a Great Dane puppy and trained him as a service dog to help her walk. She also serves as vice chair of the patient support organization Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, and she advises others who have been diagnosed to join a patient advocacy group as soon as possible to get reliable information and meet others with MS.

Helga says she is “hopeful” about the future of MS. “I must say that I am so grateful that we have all the new medications available, because my life would not be the same if it wasn't for that,” she adds.

Part of how she manages her MS is by looking at the positives.

“If I could tell the world one thing about MS, it would be that MS is an incurable disease of the nervous system, but it's also the greatest teacher of valuing your health, family, friends, and managing change in your life,” she says. “My life is diversified in a way that I never, ever thought it would, and MS has been honestly the greatest teacher.”

Each MS journey is unique – with each person impacted experiencing different struggles, successes, and feelings as they manage this unpredictable disease. But the common thread is clear – there is a critical need for information, support, and hope. We are proud to participate in World MS Day and share these incredible stories of living life while living with MS. To learn more about MS, go to https://www.sanofi.com/why-words-really-matter-when-it-comes-to-multiple-sclerosis.

MAT-GLB-2301642-v1.0-05/2023

This article was sponsored by Sanofi. Participants were compensated when applicable.

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