'I'm a healthier man now': a silver lining from a MS diagnosis

"I'd never felt so weak or helpless in all my life," Mr Jablonski said.

His multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis more than a decade ago was life-changing - but not in the way you might expect.

"I'm a healthier man now than I was before I was diagnosed 10 years ago," he said.

The Launceston MS Walk, Run and Roll was held on May 26, to support those living with the neurological disease and raise funds for research.

There were 140 entrants and 21 teams at the Launceston event and nearly $19,000 has been collectively raised, according to the event's website.

The event included many people running, walking with their dogs or pushing prams, or rolling the 9.5-kilometre course.

Mr Jablonski lives in Hobart but has attended the Launceston event every year for the last five years.

"It's a matter of pride for me that I can do the 9.5 kilometres," he said.

"It's not something I take for granted."

Mr Jablonski was diagnosed with transverse myelitis in 2012 and MS in 2014.

He said his diagnosis was the catalyst he needed to make some dramatic lifestyle changes.

"I was a big boy, and when I was diagnosed it made me sit down and reflect on things and what I needed to do for my own health," Mr Jablonski said.

"I was in a more disabled state at that size than I am now."

Mr Jablonski said the services and support that MS Plus provided changed his life.

He said the walk gave him the opportunity to say thank you to the community.

Mr Joablonski he would do "basically anything I can ... to pay back the help that I received".

He said he became an MS ambassador to show others living with the disease that there was a silver lining to be found.

"Yes it is a challenge, but it's not a hopeless thing," he said.

More than 33,300 people in Australia live with MS and the average age of diagnosis is between 20 to 40 years.

"MS is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease affecting young adults ... in Australia," according to MS Australia.

"In MS, the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the fatty material - called myelin - around the nerves.

"Myelin is important for protecting and insulating nerves so that the electrical messages that the brain sends to the rest of the body, travel quickly and efficiently."

The disease is three times more likely to affect women than men, and there is currently no cure.

There is no known single cause of MS, but many genetic and environmental factors have been shown to contribute to its development. It has many symptoms which can be variable and unpredictable.