Moving your body is easy to take for granted. Multiple sclerosis stops people from moving. North Bend resident Maria Fury started a new Snoqualmie Valley effort participate in the Walk MS program to keep every moving.

More than 30 Valley residents joined Fury in the 2012 Walk MS, held Sunday April 15, in Seattle.

The team raised $5,500 as of last week, and Fury hoped to raise $3,000 more by the April 30 event deadline.

The team’s efforts earned them the “Rookie of the Year” award as a first-year Walk MS team. They also broke into the top 20 fundraisers among more than 300 teams.

“That shows right there how our little community kicks butt,” Fury told the Record. “With how many teams there are, I was so impressed.”

Next year, Fury wants to see an even bolder showing.

“It was an extremely positive and fun experience,” she said.

The local team was supported by Mary Miller, The Snoqualmie Tribe, Northwest Gold & Diamond, Dan Crocker Construction, Huxdotter Coffee, FADCO, Hallamore Homes, Tanner Electric and Nanny M’s Daycare, among others.

Millions of people are affected by MS and the challenges of living with its unpredictable symptoms. Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and it stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, a disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.

To learn more, e-mail to miafury@gmail.com.