October 19 - Westmount Independent

Westmounter afield
Nichol to hike Kilimanjaro in support of MS research
By Lauren O’Loughlen
This January when his neighbours will
be bundling up against the cold January
winds, de Maisonneuve Blvd. resident
Murray Nichol amidst the exotic flora of the
flower conservatory, an environment very different
from the one he will be immersed in this coming
January when he hikes Mount Kilimanjaro.
Murray Nichol, 44, will be across the globe
climbing the highest free-standing mountain
in the world.
In the first week of January 2011,
Nichol will climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro
as part of the Kilimanjaro Challenge
for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of
Canada to raise money for research of the
neurological disease and care for its sufferers.
The loss of a friend two years ago inspired
Nichol to become involved in the
MS Society of Canada. Since committing
to the cause, he has come into direct contact
with MS sufferers and their families,
and has become increasingly aware of the
“profound effect on family and friends”
this incurable disease can have.
The Kilimanjaro Challenge involves
rigorous training over the course of a year
in order to be able to scale Africa’s highest
mountain – at over 19,000 ft. high – in just
five to six days. Participants of all ages and
from all over make up two groups of 21
people, who will meet during training sessions
to learn to work with each other as a
team and to deal with the extreme conditions
of the ascent. They fund their own
trip expenses.
A resident of Westmount for almost 35
years, Nichol has so far been able to raise
about one third of the $12,000 needed to
meet his goal. His greatest challenge has
been the lack of awareness about MS
among the general public, though it affects
up to 75,000 Canadians. “When I talk
about the MS Society, people think I am
talking about Microsoft,” he explained.
“Most of the donations so far have
come from family and friends.” Canada
has the highest rate of MS in the world, according
to the MS Society of Canada.
To learn more about this cause or to
make a donation, visit http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2010misc/Sponsor.aspx?PID=116
3223&L=2.
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