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Renton mom training to be first American woman with MS to compete in IRONMAN World Championship

Competing in an IRONMAN is a feat for anyone but for one Renton single mom, the major event is being dedicated to others living with multiple sclerosis like her.

RENTON, Wash. — About six years ago, Ashley Norton suffered an episode that caused numbness from head to toe. After receiving treatment, Norton said she was diagnosed as having an autoimmune disorder.

Not long after, the Renton single mom would experience another medical episode. This time, she was taken to UW Medicine where they found seven lesions on her brain.

After tests, Norton was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS.

MS is a disease that impacts the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, which make up the central nervous system and controls everything we do.

Norton is not alone in this daily battle. About one million people in the United States are living with MS which is double the previous estimation, according to the National MS Society.

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Despite daily challenges due to MS, Norton said she is not letting it get in her way and she wants to compete in the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, for everyone with MS, in October.

By competing in this prestigious race, Norton would become the first woman from the U.S. with MS and a pacemaker to do so.

To hear more about Norton's passion for competition and raising MS awareness, click the video player above.

To help with competition fundraising for Iron Heart Woman, click here.

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