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Positively Chicago: Rosey's MS Foundation

CHICAGO (CBS) -- What do you get when you combine a man with a serious neurological disease and a son who wants to eradicate that debilitating disease?

You get the Rosey's MS Foundation on the North Shore.

As CBS 2's Rob Johnson reports, it's Positively Chicago.

"I always thought I was a klutz. I was tripping over my feet, I was never steady, I was never balanced. When I went to my internist, he knew right away what I had," said Mark Rosenblum.

Rosenblum learned he had multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks nerve insulation, called myelin, which can cause multiple health problems.

"I take two naps a day and I have very little coordination in my hands," Rosenblum said. "I have about 8 feet that I can walk, and I do have my son's arm to be able to hold on when I can."

Aaron, his 30-year-old son, decided to start Rosey's MS Foundation after watching his dad struggle for years. The non-for-profit is dedicated and determined to helping Rosenblum and millions like him.

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CBS 2's Rob Johnson, left, Aaron Rosenblum, right, and Mark Rosenblum, below.

"That's when it started to sink in that, wow, my dad has a terminal illness. When I was that young, I was thinking, wow, is my dad going to make it?" Aaron said.

For the second year, Rosey's MS Foundation will be hosting a charity walk. This year, it's at Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Aaron looked up Northwestern's Dr. Steven Miller and was fascinated by his research on "nanotechnology," which is helping to stop the destruction of myelin in mice, and might even be able to repair it.

"When the animal already has that disease ongoing, we're able to take those same myelin anogins, administer them in the blood stream, which then go to the brain and shut down the auto-immune response and stop it," Dr. Miller said.

It costs about $1 million a year to run this lab, and with government funding on the decline, Dr. Miller said was happy to welcome Rosey's financial boost, adding, "To have Aaron's help -- a remarkable young man -- is fantastic."

"It feels good, but ultimately, I'd like to find a cure," Aaron said. "I've made that pledge. Until I find a cure, I won't step down."

Rosey's annual "Nip MS in the Bud Walk for a Cure" is on Sunday, Sept. 10.

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