Living with an invisible disease, Battlefords residents find support one step at a time

More than a decade later, Inkster still lives with the disease.

“It’s kind of somewhat a hidden disease in the sense that, you know, other than me walking in, driving in a wheelchair, you wouldn’t notice the symptoms,” he said.

Ron Inkster, right, who lives with multiple sclerosis, poses for a photo with his wife, Zelda Marshall, during the Battlefords MS Walk in North Battleford on Sunday, June 7 2026. Inkster said community support helps people living with the disease feel less isolated. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

That reality was at the heart of Sunday’s Battlefords MS Walk in North Battleford, where roughly 70 participants gathered to raise awareness and support for people living with MS.

While the event raised about $7,800 for MS Canada, organizers said its impact reaches far beyond fundraising.

“One of the biggest things that MS is that a lot of people feel isolated,” said organizer Rhonda MacDonald.

The cause is personal for MacDonald. Her mother, Myrna Head, has lived with MS for more than 30 years, and watching that journey firsthand inspired her to help bring the walk back to the Battlefords after it was forced online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, a woman living with MS reached out to MacDonald after the walk.

“She said she was so glad that this was happening because it allowed her to get out of the house and feel supported by the community.”

For MacDonald, that message reinforced why the event matters.

“I want people like that to know that they’re loved and cared for by people in this community,” she said.

Myrna Head, who has lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years, poses for a photo with her grandson, Ben, during the Battlefords MS Walk in North Battleford on Sunday, June 7, 20226. Head said events like the walk help raise awareness of a disease that is often invisible to others. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

For Head, that support was on full display Sunday morning.

“It makes me feel honoured, actually,” she said. “And with my daughter being the one who has organized and has it here in North Battleford makes me a very proud parent.”

“It’s a disease that people can’t always see,” Head added.

Multiple sclerosis affects the central nervous system and can impact mobility, vision, cognition and energy levels. Experiences vary widely from person to person. According to MS Canada, more than 90,000 Canadians live with MS. It is one of the highest rates of disease in the world. Women are three times more likely to be diagnosed than men, and many new diagnoses occur between the ages of 20 and 49.

“It’s different for everybody, but you just keep going,” Head said.

Diagnosed more than three decades ago, she eventually retired early from her nursing career because of the disease.

“You’re praying that someday there will be a cure. So that’s why we’re here,” she said.

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Participants take part in the Battlefords MS Walk in North Battleford on Sunday, June 7, 2026, raising funds and awareness for people living with multiple sclerosis. Organizers said the event drew roughly 70 walkers and raised about $7,800 for MS Canada. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Funds raised through the walk support programs and services offered by MS Canada, including transportation assistance for medical appointments, support networks and other resources for people living with the disease.

MacDonald said those services are especially important for people coping with symptoms that are not always visible.

“Some people, obviously, we see people that are in wheelchairs, but often more than not, there are a lot of people that deal with fatigue, which leads to depression and anxiety,” she said.

“Some people are dealing with that silently, and we have to support those people in the way we can.”

For Inkster, support has made a difference throughout his journey.

After being diagnosed about 12 years ago, he watched the disease gradually change how he moved through the world. What started with his feet dragging while walking his dogs progressed over time.

Today, he uses a wheelchair for outings such as Sunday’s walk and a walker at home.

Still, he considers himself fortunate. Family and friends understand what he is facing, and events like the MS Walk remind him that support extends beyond those closest to him.

“It definitely is,” Inkster said when asked whether seeing people come out to support the cause was heartwarming.

“Having a family who knows and cares helps lots because then that’s your everyday life.”

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

On Sunday morning, it was visible in every direction, in the walkers making their way along the route, in the volunteers cheering them on and in the conversations shared along the way.

For people living with a disease that often remains hidden, it was a reminder that they are not alone.

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Living with an invisible disease, Battlefords residents find support one step at a time

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