VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Walk MS is two weeks away, and more than 1,500 people in the area are hard at work fundraising and building their teams. Thanks to funds raised at events like Walk MS, a number of medical breakthroughs have been created to treat multiple sclerosis. "I'm here to tell you it's a disease of everybody," said Dr. Alice Edwards, an MS specialist with Neurology Specialists in Norfolk. "I have seen kids as young as three with multiple sclerosis, and I have seen adults and older adults." Edwards focuses on treating the disease in patients throughout Hampton Roads. "Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system," Edwards said. It's an often-times unpredictable disease. The National MS Society states that "scientists think MS is an immune-mediated disorder. This means that the immune system attacks your own healthy tissue in the central nervous system. The immune system is the body's natural defense against illness. This causes inflammation and damage to the central nervous system. This disrupts the signals to and from the brain and spinal cord and other parts of the body, causing the symptoms of MS." Edwards explains MS can impact a person's mobility, vision, memory, and so much more. There are several types of multiple sclerosis: Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Secondary progressive MS (SPMS) Primary progressive MS (PPMS) Edwards said the first disease modifying therapy to treat MS was approved in 1993. "Now we have more than 25 treatments, and they range from injections to medications that patients can take by mouth to infusion therapies," Edwards said. The creation of these medications was made possible thanks in part to funds raised from events like Walk MS. Edwards said most recently, funds have been used to help tailor treatments. For example, researchers took one treatment called "Ocrevus" that is given via an hours-long infusion, and created a new treatment Edwards said gives the same results by a quick injection under the skin in the doctor's office twice per year. New treatments target inflammation in order to slow or prevent flare ups in patients. "They can continue their lives without having to worry about the disease getting any worse," Edwards said. She said there is so much more research that needs to be done to find a cure for multiple sclerosis, but she believes it can happen thanks to monetary donations, awareness events and researchers and doctors dedicating their efforts to the cause. Edwards said she wanted to become an MS specialist because she knows she can make a difference in the lives of her patients. "Even though we do not have a cure, I felt like I could give people their lives back," she said. Edwards said there are a number of avenues researchers focus on to try and treat MS while also searching for a cure. "We are very good at targeting inflammation, but of course MS is more than just inflammation," she said. "We know there's neuronal degeneration that happens, which is the mechanism of progression — secondary progressive instead of relapsing MS. "So our goal is to work on that, and there's a lot of research on remyelination and repair, but for now, I can promise you that the medication I give you, and if it's working well, you should not continue to have these clinical attacks. Unfortunately, there are some symptoms of MS we cannot completely take away without medications. Hence we give you all of these other treatments to support you as you go through those symptoms." However, no medication has been created yet that can reverse the damage done to the nervous system by MS. "Being on the right treatment is very, very important, and being on it very early is very important," Edwards said. You can support people living with Multiple Sclerosis by walking with a team, like the WAVY Warriors, at Walk MS. There are two Walk MS events in Hampton Roads: Saturday, April 5: Newport News Park, 13560 Jefferson Ave., Newport News. The site opens at 9 a.m., the ceremony starts at 9:45 a.m. and the walk kickoff is at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 6: The WAVY Warriors will be at Walk MS in Virginia Beach at ODU Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, 1881 University Dr., Lot 3. The site opens at noon, ceremony starts at 12:45 p.m. and the walk kickoff is at 1 p.m. If you would like to join the WAVY Warriors, click here. If you can't make the walk, but would still like to donate to the event, click here. ...read more read less