Rock ‘n’ Race

Melissa Schorr

Thursday, May 20, 1999 | 1:50 a.m.

When Nancy Davis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago, she didn't want to accept that it was happening to her.

"I (was) seeking out second options, hoping someone would tell me I didn't have it," she recalls, speaking from her Los Angeles home.

What she discovered instead was that it was impossible to get the information she desperately needed. "MS wasn't as popular, there was not much funding back then," she explains. "I wanted to find out where and how I could make a difference."

She found a way. Davis created the RACE to Erase MS, an annual 5K charity walk-run that raises money for research for the disease, which has struck 350,000 Americans, most of them women between the ages of 20 and 50.

After five years in Los Angeles and Colorado, the glitzy charity event is moving to Las Vegas, and the renamed ROCK to Erase MS will be held at the Hard Rock hotel-casino on Friday through Sunday.

The event will be hosted by supermodel Rebecca Romijin-Stamos and rapper LL Cool J and will be telecast in a one-hour TV special on VH1 July 10. Among the weekend's scheduled events are a concert by the Goo Goo Dolls, a silent auction of around 450 items and a fashion show sponsored by fashion guru Tommy Hilfiger.

Davis says she decided to move the charity event to Las Vegas after attending a Rolling Stones concert at the hotel last year.

"There was this amazing energy there, we thought this would be a great place to do it," she says.

To date, the charity has raised $9 million for the Nancy Davis Foundation, most of it going to the foundation's "Center Without Walls," a coalition of researchers across the country, including physicians and scientists at the Yale School of Medicine, UCLA and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. The participants meet four times a year in Los Angeles to share findings.

"Communication is important," Davis notes, "so they're not wasting valuable time and energy doing identical studies."

Multiple sclerosis, a disease of the the central nervous system, is caused when the protective coating surrounding the nerves in the brain and spinal cord becomes damaged, causing scar tissue to form in its place. This disrupts the brain's ability to send signals to the body, causing symptoms such as slurred speech and poor coordination.

Scientists believe the disease is caused by many factors working together, including a person's genetics, their gender and even their environment.

There is currently no cure.

But progress has been made. "When I first was diagnosed eight years ago, there was no drug to stop the progression," Davis says. "Now there's three, which is amazing."

Other developments on the horizon include the use of a simple blood test to diagnose the disease, and the use of MRI technology to scan the brain for lesions to better diagnose and prescribe medicine.

This summer human trials will begin, testing a new synthetic protein that will hopefully counteract the forming of scars on the brain and spinal column, Davis says.

The choice of an athletically-oriented charity run was no coincidence.

"People have the misconception that when you have MS, you should be in a wheelchair," Davis, the mother of three teenagers, explains. "The one thing I figured out (is) that exercise is key to my health. It's important to exercise evey day, it is one of the most important things. I don't drink, I never smoke, I eat healthy, I do good things to keep my immune system strong."

The 5K race will have its opening ceremonies at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and begin at 8 a.m., circling around Paradise Road and returning to the Hard Rock. A post-race concert will begin at 9 a.m. The event is open to the public, with tickets to participate costing $25. Davis says she expects more than 1,000 participants.

The Goo Goo Dolls will perform a concert Friday evening -- open to those who purchased $2,500 passes for the weekend events. On Saturday, there will be a silent auction, followed by a concert by Cheap Trick and Hootie and the Blowfish, who will perform for patrons who paid $1,000 each for the concerts, the race and the silent auction.

Celebrities expected to attend include actors David Spade, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Rinna, Dana Delany, Joely Fisher, Teri Garr, James Woods, John Stamos, Sidney Poitier, Ed McMahon and Tom Arnold. A tribute to the late Phil Hartman, who was an active participant, is planned.

Davis explains that the use of celebrities "adds excitement" and "glamour" to the event.

"Celebrities are very generous with their time, they're asked over and over to do these things," she says. "But some people have an interest for personal reasons."

For example, Hilfiger and VH1 president John Sykes have family members with MS, she points out.

At the silent auction, bidders will get a chance to purchase a variety of interesting experiences, including a flight in a Russian jet fighter, a dinner with professional heckler Don Rickles and a walk-on part on TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Others items up for auction: a mention in Jackie Collins' next novel, a chance to be an announcer on Rosie O'Donnell's TV talk show and having your child featured in one of Hilfiger's ad campaigns.

"Last year, we raised $2.5 million. If we could raise that much this year, that would be incredible," Davis says. "We have to find a cure."

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