EDITORIAL: Pickleball tournament helps
Mar. 28—A pickleball tournament brought lots of people together for some fun — and they helped raise money to fight multiple sclerosis.
Organizers said they wanted to honor retired Wilburton Public Schools teacher and decades-long multiple sclerosis patient June Williams with a pickleball tournament last Saturday at the J.I. Stipe Center in McAlester.
June smiled and laughed with several people at the tournament and said she hopes it helps promote awareness of MS and other illnesses.
"This is awesome because these are my people," Williams said. "And for people to be aware of, and not just MS, but a lot of things, because you can't always see what's going on with people."
The tournament raised a total of $6,484 to go toward the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and its mission of raising awareness and funding research on the chronic neurological condition that affects the central nervous system among close to 1 million people in the United States.
That's a great contribution and the tournament helps raise awareness of a disease that can go undetected.
Overactive immune cells cause inflammation and damages the myelin to leave a lesion, which then can develop hardened scar tissue at multiple sites, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. The scarring can disrupt the transmission of nerve signals to various parts of the body.
Experts don't know the direct cause of MS yet but believe it can be the result of a combination of factors — with research ongoing in immunologic reaction, viral or other infectious agents, environmental factors, genetics and more.
Some symptoms include sudden vision decline, numbness or tingling, changes in balance or coordination, weakness in arms or legs, and heat sensitivity. Anyone who might see these symptoms should consult with their doctor.
Williams was diagnosed in 1996 with multiple sclerosis and worked for roughly 15 years afterward until her retirement.
Jan Gilmore, a USA Pickleball regional ambassador, worked with June at Wilburton Public Schools for more than a decade and they both went to McAlester chiropractor Dr. Shayne Javersak.
Javersak said the two were persistent in getting him to start playing so the pickleball seemed like a fitting way to honor June and help a good cause.
News On 6 anchor LeeAnne Taylor partnered with June on a team in the tournament and said she manages her decades-long diagnosis in an amazing way.
"Her mental approach to life is something that can rub off on all of us," Taylor said.
"And win or lose, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation is the overall champion here today," Taylor said. "I think it just putting a name a face with a disease that a lot of people are really unfamiliar with, I think that raises awareness."
