Don’t Miss ‘Jet Pull’ at TF Green for Multiple Sclerosis

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

 

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Heave, ho: ever wanted to try to pull a huge jet down the tarmac? Now's your chance, and you can support efforts to eradicate multiple sclerosis at the same time.

When Jasmine Hopkins’ legs went completely numb after months of not feeling well she knew it wasn’t because she’d been out in the cold tubing in the snow. And she had to admit that it wasn’t because of the major life changes she was experiencing, such as moving to East Greenwich from Florida in September of last year to be with the man she would soon marry.

On Valentine’s Day, after two weeks of tests and doctor appointments, Jasmine, 27, received a diagnosis of MS and shortly after her future husband proposed. “It was a whirlwind of a few weeks,” said Hopkins, who asked herself, “What is this crazy thing we are dealing with that I don’t have control over?”

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and over 2.1 million worldwide.

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Jasmine is one of 23 team captains who have registered for the 4th Annual MS Jet Pull at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick on October 13. To raise money for the RI Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, participants will pull a jet across the tarmac with nothing but their bare hands. This year, the plane is larger and so are the teams. Instead of the FedEx 727 the teams have pulled for the past three years, they will confront a FedEx 757 that requires 25 people to pull it instead of the usual 20.

Jet Pullers wanted

Jasmine’s Jet Pull team is called Jazzy’s Jet Setters and it has many committed members but Jasmine is actively recruiting more. She has been touched by how many friends and coworkers are supporting her when she has only been in Rhode Island for a short time.

“It wasn’t an option not to do the Jet Pull,” said Jasmine, who has also started a blog with a girlfriend from Florida and they are determined to try 365 new things this year. Whether it’s climbing a mountain or preparing a new recipe, they share the experience of living every day to the fullest.

Still time to register or just come out to cheer

Rhode Island's MS Jet Pull will be a fun-packed day with the first pull at 10 a.m. Spectators are encouraged to cheer on the teams while they enjoy fun family activities and a delicious BBQ. The Dave & Buster’s Street Team will be there and so will the Alex & Ani Bangle Bar with 20 percent of the day’s proceeds going to the Chapter. The entrance fee for adults is $10; children under 12 are $5; and children under three are free. No animals are permitted for their own safety, in keeping with airport rules. The MS Jet Pull registration fee is only $50 per person with a minimum fundraising contribution of $50. For more information, visit www.msjetpull.com.

"I don't fail"

Jasmine and Rich, who works for AAA Southern New England, married in April, bought a home, and are raising their four children, ages 4, 5, 6, and 7, together.  A human resources recruiter, Jasmine’s closest relative is in New York and the rest of her family is in Florida.

“You have good days and bad days, and I have definitely had my bad days, emotionally and physically,” she said. “The biggest thing that gets me through is, ‘I don’t fail.’ It’s my mantra.”

For more information and to help out, go to www.msjetpull.com.

 

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