Ever since Jordan Sigalet was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last March, the senior goalkeeper of the Bowling Green State University hockey team felt compelled to help others who suffer from his disease.

This weekend, Sigalet will continue his efforts to benefit MS medical research with MS Awareness Weekend at the Ice Arena, February 18-20.

“There are a lot of people who don’t really know what the disease is, and I hope that maybe it will help to spread some awareness,” Sigalet said. “Any dollar I can raise is going to be good to try to find a cure, and I think this weekend is going to be successful in doing that.”

The weekend-long fundraiser, which was originally Sigalet’s idea, will raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., the Falcon hockey team will host Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponent Western Michigan. During the games, at the south end of the ice arena, Band of Hope bracelets and Prism Pins will be sold for minimum donations of $1, to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“With each purchase of a Prism Pin or Band of Hope, you’ll get a free action photo of Jordan Sigalet,” said Kris Kamann, assistant director of athletic communications.

Additionally, there will be a silent auction and raffle of autographed hockey memorabilia, including hockey sticks signed by the 1984 Bowling Green National Championship team and other memorabilia signed by BGSU alumni Rob Blake, seven-time NHL All-Star.

“Skate with the Falcons,” an annual opportunity for people to skate at the ice arena with the Falcon hockey team, will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday. Following this event, members of the hockey team will serve pizza to those who attend. The cost is $5 for children who wear BGSU attire and $6 for general admission.

All profits made from the auction, raffle, pizza party and “Skate with the Falcons” event will go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Plans for MS Awareness Weekend started when Sigalet contacted Tricia Courtney, community relations manager of the Northwestern Ohio Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, who gave him ideas of ways to raise money, including the Prism Pins and Bands of Hope.

From there, Sigalet worked with his family, coaches, volunteers and the Athletic Department’s marketing team to bring his vision for MS Awareness Weekend to life.

To help people learn about the symptoms and causes of MS, informational pamphlets and fliers will be dispensed throughout the weekend.

According to Courtney, MS is a disease of the central nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of numbness, involuntary movement and cognitive problems result when the immune system attacks an insulating substance called myelin that protects nerve fibers in the spinal cord. Without myelin to help impulses flow smoothly along the spinal cord, nerves become scarred and impulses do not end up where they are supposed to go.

Although the exact cause of MS is unknown, researchers hope to find a cure within the next five years, according to Sigalet, who finds motivation to continue playing hockey in other athletes who have overcome illnesses.

“It’s a huge inspiration to know that there are people out there that keep playing or do what they do with the disease,” he said. “Even looking at people like Lance Armstrong, who battled through cancer and kept doing what he loved to do — it’s things like that that keep my hopes up.”

Since he went public with his disease in December and began planning MS Awareness Weekend, Sigalet has received much support from his family, teammates, fans and coaches.

“We’ve learned a lot about the disease from Jordan, and I think we’re all just anxious to help,” said head hockey coach, Scott Paluch. “It’s important that people understand what Jordan is doing is remarkable. From the minute we got his diagnosis last year, he has taken the approach, ‘Okay, I have MS. Now how do I go about dealing with it?'”

Sigalet and his brother, Jonathan, a sophomore on the hockey team, have already raised about $500 selling Prism Pins and Bands of Hope within the past two weeks.

Last week, Sigalet shot a commercial for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to promote the MS Walk and Bike to the Bay.

And Sigalet plans to continue helping people with MS after this weekend’s event is over.

Sunday he will be speaking at the MS Kids Connection in Cincinnati, and in April he will attend Dinner of Champions, an MS event in Boston.

“I just want to help out in as many ways as I can, either raising money or just being a public speaker,” he said.

Despite Sigalet’s original worry that MS would prevent him from playing hockey, he has actually improved his goalkeeping since he made his disease public.

“Just getting that off my shoulders, after I talked about it I felt so much better out on the ice,” Sigalet said.

“From last year, I just feel like a better goalie all around.”

“At this point I don’t see anything related to the MS that’s going to slow him down,” Paluch said. “He’s well on his way to a hockey career after Bowling Green.”

A team captain and 2005 Hobey Baker Award candidate, Sigalet has no intention of letting his disease slow him down.

“I’m going to play until I can’t anymore,” Sigalet said.

“It’s what I love to do. It’s the priority of my life. Even if something stops me some day, I’d just like to keep playing for fun on the side.”

He added, “I just try to make the best out of it, try to turn something bad into something good by raising money and helping other people.

“It’s not fun to have MS, but I can do good things with it.”