Hoops For A Cause

Friday White Cloud/Kent City game aims to increase awareness of MS

When it comes to high school basketball there are quite a few important games on the schedule for Friday. The Newaygo Girls team goes to Big Rapids to break the tie at the top of the standings, Whitehall visits the division leading Fremont Packers girls squad  and the Tigers boys team  look to continue their season opening winning streak when Reed City comes to town.

But perhaps no game will have more at stake than when the Eagles of Kent City visit White Cloud for a game that will look to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis, the chronic disease affecting the central nervous system and optic nerves.

With Kent City pitching in there are t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies for sale to promote the game and  raffles will be held throughout the contests. We spoke to Bailie Ruether who helped spearhead the event and has a personal interest in the cause.

“Our youngest son Jaxon, plays for the JV team. He was diagnosed at age 12. During the summer his older brother was playing in a baseball tournament. He was having issues with his eye sight. We took him to two different ophthalmologists. One said to take him to Devos ER. They ran many tests and they diagnosed him with MS. He had to be in the hospital for three days on high dose steroids. His eye sight went back to normal. They found more than 15 lesions on his brain, which is one of the indicators of MS. He takes medication every day to slow the progression of the disease. So far he has not had any reoccurrences, but he goes to a neurologist every six months and has MRIs every six months as well. The medication has some side effects in adults so he sees many different specialists throughout the year.”
 
“Right now MS does not have a cure, and the money raised will be donated to Helen Devos Children’s Hospital Neurology Research to help fund research to hopefully find a cure. After Jaxon was diagnosed we have heard of many people, children and adults, that have this disease. I just want to help to try to find a cure or better treatments for people affected.”

“I am so thankful that White Cloud Schools and White Cloud Girl and Boys basketball are allowing us to do this fundraiser. Kent City has been great as well in participating."

It looks to be a rather frigid January Friday night so what better way to warm up than to see some great high school basketball while helping to fund a cure for this nasty illness. So get yourself a few raffle tickets. After all this is a great cause and your chances are infinitely better than they are with  those lottery tickets you’ve been scratching off to no avail.