Albion woman recently diagnosed with MS will lead walk on Saturday

Cassandra Dash is in remission and working to get her strength back

Cassandra Dash

ALBION – An Albion woman will be leading a walk on Saturday morning to help the fight against multiple sclerosis.

Cassandra Dash, 39, and her family and friends will be among the participants who will gather at 10 a.m. at the Butts Road bridge and then walk about 2 miles along the canal east towards the village. Participants, however, can walk any length of distance they want.

Dash, an elementary school attendance secretary, encourages people to wear orange to support all of the “MS warriors.” People can sign up and donate by clicking here, which is a link to virtual MS walks in the Rochester region.

Dash is leading a team called, “NO CANE NO GAIN.” She was diagnosed with MS last month after a four-day stay at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. At that point she couldn’t feel her legs below her knees and was walking with leg braces and a cane.

“I felt like I was walking around in a fog and could fall asleep if I sat still too long,” Dash said. “But, I had recently lost over 100 pounds and was living a completely different lifestyle than I ever had. I kept telling myself all these little symptoms were just because I was exercising or may have pulled a muscle. So, the diagnosis was a complete shock.”

She is working with a neurologist with a treatment plan that includes 5 days of steroid infusions at the hospital and then 5 days of chemo injections.  Dash said she felt very sick, and her hair started falling out in clumps.

“My doctor warned me that it was going to get way worse before it got better,” she said. “But, it did get better!”

She is now on a monthly home maintenance injection. She will soon start OT/PT to start getting her strength back.

“I can walk without my leg braces and my cane,” Dash said. “I am officially in remission. This community and my co-workers have shown my family so much love throughout all of this that I wanted to give back.”

Dash is determined to cover the distance on Saturday during the MS walk.

“I can’t walk very fast or for long distances, but I will finish!” she said. “A lot of people donated to me and my family and I wanted to pay it forward, to try and bring some hope to someone that is going through this. MS changes you, it changes your family. But you can’t give up! Just put one foot in front of the other – everyday!”