Roger Siebenahler was diagnosed in 1985 at the age of 38. Now, at age 54, his symptoms have become so debilitating he lives in Southridge Nursing Home in Sioux Falls where heÕs been there since 1994.
Prior to his diagnosis, he drove for his father, LuVerne Siebenahler, and also for Old Home in Sioux Falls.
His sister, Lorna Bryan, walked in his honor in Sunday's MS Walk.
"My brother's major challenge with MS is independence," she said. "He said it was difficult to get a diagnosis and deal with a terminal disease at such a young age."
She wonders if the weed spray along the railroad tracks could be a cause. "I remember the smell was very strong," Bryan said. "We lived on the west side of the tracks, and his is the only thing that set us apart from everyone else in Hardwick."
Ron Hansen was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 47. "MS has changed my life so much," he said. "Little things like driving a nail wears me out. I canÕt mow the lawn. There are so many things."
Since then, he's been able to keep working as Rock CountyÕs veterans services coordinator, and he leans on a cane to get around.
Despite his physical limitations, he counts himself lucky that his diagnosis came after the release of a drug that prohibits progression of the disease.
Once a week he self-administers a shot of Interferon Beta 1 Avonex.
"My doctor tells me had I not been put on it, thereÕs a good chance I would be in a wheelchair by now," Hansen said.
"I guess I consider myself very fortunate of the four Hardwick people who have it."
He still suffers from bladder and kidney damage and daily fatigue. "Every day, you wake up and you don't know what the day will be like," he said.
"You know there's the fatigue factor, but youÕre always glad just to get through a day."
Hansen walked 11 blocks of the MS Walk Sunday with his wife, Alice, at his side. "My wife is one of the best supporters I have," he said. "She does so much for me."
In addition, 16 other friends and family members walked Sunday in HansenÕs honor, many of them wearing "Walking for Grandpa" T-shirts.
MS affects roughly 350,000 Americans, and it strikes women two to three times more often than men.
There is a higher frequency of MS diagnosed in children with parents who have MS, and theories on possible causes range from genetic and immunologic to environmental and viral.
While it remains unknown what caused the disease for these Hardwick residents, all they know for certain is they share common symptoms.
MS typically strikes adults between the ages of 20 and 50 and affects the brain and spinal chord.
It causes blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and paralysis and blindness.
The symptoms may be permanent or they may come and go.
Participants in Sunday's MS Walk started at the University of Sioux Falls and had the option of a six- or nine-mile route.
About 2,000 people participated in the annual event, which raised about $160,000. The money goes to the National MS Society, which funds research for treatments and ultimately a cure.