Tristan Williams MS Foundation is a most worthy cause
It’s a fashion-
forward night with a worthy motive: Fashion For a Cause Montreal is back with its fourth edition of Rip the Runway Montreal, a fashion show that raises money for charity.
This year’s beneficiary will be the Tristan Williams MS Foundation, an organization that bears the name of its co-creator, Montrealer Tristan Williams.
At just 25, Williams has overcome thyroid cancer twice and has to learn how to walk again after he had a hip replacement. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis six years ago, right before he was slated to begin college.
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis, believed to be an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerv
es. It can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility.
“I’ve been through the depression, the darkness, the suicidal thoughts, the deep, dark depression where I felt like I left my body. I was just absent from life,” Williams was quoted as saying.
Determined to fight for his own health, Williams has come a long way from those days.
With the help of a friend, he created the Tristan Williams MS Foundation, a charity that raises awareness about MS.
The foundation runs The Road to You, an MS support group that brings together young people grappling with their diagnoses in a safe environment where they can make new friends and learn about new treatments and therapies.
He was also one of the faces of the McGill University Health Centre’s Cancer Survivorship Program, which helps cancer patients deal with what happens after they recover from a bout with cancer.
With that in mind, it’s hard not to agree with fashion show organizer and founder Janice Small, who says that Williams “will have you rising out of your seats as you witness his conviction and strength.”
This year’s event is billed as a night of fashion-forward designers, a diverse cast of models and entertaining performers as well.
Over the past three years, Fashion For A Cause Montreal has raised over $11,000 for various charities.
The 2015 edition of Rip the Runway Montreal (Fashion For A Cause) takes place Oct. 10 at the T.M.R Schofield Hall, 90 Roosevelt Ave. Advance tickets are available at Princessa, Triple AAA Records and Marché Colonnade.
There will also be limited tickets available online at www.eventbrite.ca. For more information, call 514-690-0836, 514-232-1947, or 514-951-3194.
