Canadian Olympian Kristen Campbell joins MS fight with mom on mind
· Toronto Sun
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Canadian pro hockey player Kristen Campbell was only two years old when her mother Janet was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), at the age of 41.
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“My mom’s lived with MS since 1999,” said the PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes goalie, 28, down the line from Victoria recently. “She’s now 66. Definitely, (it can strike) anyone at any time. I know people who have got it younger than that. I think the biggest thing is that it affects everyone differently. So she’s been fairly fortunate to live a pretty active life. She’s not in a wheelchair. She’s able to walk. She has a lot of invisible symptoms that people wouldn’t be able to tell if they were looking at her. A lot of my friends and teammates can’t even tell she’s living with it. But, yeah, it affects her daily. So my entire life almost she’s had the disease.”
Now the Olympic gold medalist finds herself a spokesperson for Burgers to Beat MS Day on Aug. 20, during which $2 from every A&W Teen Burger sold will go to MS Canada, marking 18 years of supporting Canadians affected by MS.
Donations help drive MS research to halt progression, develop new treatments and early detection,
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to be more involved in,” said Campbell, 28, who grew up in Brandon, Man., where her parents still live. “And just having grown up seeing my mom battle MS, it has inspired me daily throughout my life. Just being able to be involved with this campaign to support Canadians living with MS, it just meant the world to me. I told (my parents) about it and (my mom’s) excited about it. She’s been a big supporter for me, so it means a lot to her that I get to be the one supporting and uplifting her.”
A dozen Canadians are diagnosed with MS daily on average
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world with over 90,000 Canadians living with MS. On average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with it every day, which is a diagnosis every two hours.
While anyone can be diagnosed with MS, women are up to three times more likely to be diagnosed than men and 60% of adults diagnosed with MS are between the ages of 20 and 49.
“She, for sure, hid a lot from me and my (older) brother,” said Campbell of her mom’s MS. “I knew she lived with it, but she also never made it about her. She was always my cheerleader in the stands. She never missed a practice. She never missed a game. She never missed a tournament. She was always there for me.
“I almost would forget she was living with it because she was just that strong and determined to not let it affect other areas of her life,” Campbell added. “She’s been my biggest role model throughout my whole life and throughout my whole hockey career and I think now just seeing how MS never stopped her living a full and happy life, it shows just how far research has come.”
Since 2008, A&W Canada has raised more than $23 million in support of the MS community through Burgers to Beat MS.
Canadians can also donate to MS Canada by rounding up their A&W bill, donating in restaurants, through the A&W App, online at BurgersToBeatMS.ca, or by adding a donation when ordering on UberEats, SkipTheDishes and DoorDash.
“My mom’s story is just one of 90,000 Canadians living with MS,” Campbell said. “So it’s such a meaningful way for me to go and support her, as well as all my friends and family, who can go to A&W. It’s a small amount but a little goes a long way.”