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Larry Kaiser, M.D.
President

Susan Coulter, J.D.
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of Institutional Advancement

Wendy K. Mohon
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Carlos Zepeda
Web Developer

May, 2005
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Clay Walker Makes Gift Against MS

 

In front of 56,000 fans, country music star Clay Walker presented a $100,000 check to support multiple sclerosis (MS) research at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston March 20 during his event-closing performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium.

Accepting a check from country music star Clay Walker, center, at the rodeo are UT Medical School at Houston Dean Stanley Schultz, M.D., left, and Ponnada Narayana, Ph.D., director of magnetic resonance research at the Medical School. Photo courtesy of Ponnada Narayana, Ph.D.

Accepting a check from country music star Clay Walker, center, at the rodeo are UT Medical School at Houston Dean Stanley Schultz, M.D., left, and Ponnada Narayana, Ph.D., director of magnetic resonance research at the Medical School. Photo courtesy of Ponnada Narayana, Ph.D.

"We are delighted to accept this generous gift, which will be used to help us advance our understanding of MS and its management," said Stanley Schultz, M.D., dean of the UT Medical School. He and Ponnada Narayana, Ph.D., director of magnetic resonance research at the Medical School, accepted the donation onstage at the rodeo.

Walker formed the Band Against MSSM Foundation in 2003 to help others learn more about the disease and provide funding for research into new therapy options and, ultimately, a cure for MS.

"Each year, the foundation awards grants to worthy medical institutions for further MS research. Our goal is to find a cure for this disease, and I am doing everything I can to lead that charge," Walker said.

Walker was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS at the age of 26 in 1996.

Last year, the Band Against MSSM Foundation helped the Medical School complete its purchase of a state-of-the-art imaging machine, the 3 Tesla MRI. By enabling researchers to directly assess nerve-cell damage in patients living with MS, the MRI helps improve diagnosis and treatment.

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that turns the body's own defense system into a powerful destructive weapon aimed at the central nervous system. There is no cure for MS yet, but prescription drugs can help slow its progress and ease symptoms in some patients.

To find out more about Band Against MSSM Foundation, log on to http://www.bandagainstms.org.

By Shannon Rasp, Public Affairs

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