I have participated in several MS Walks and MS bike rides in both Oregon and Colorado. I have recruited over 30 different friends over the years, and together we have raised over $10,000 for the MS Society.

My efforts to educate people I know about MS are facilitated mainly by this bike ride. The breadth of these efforts expand beyond helping the MS Society and people diagnosed with MS. By sharing what I know and have experienced, I have gained a closeness with my peers I wouldn't have otherwise, learned about the gamut of other diseases that plague our loved ones and ultimately added to the knowledge I can share.

Beyond deepening our understanding of the diseases so many of us live with, the MS 150 is a great way to improve personal health.

When I rode my first MS 150, I was not a regular cyclist. Now I've invested a lot into cycling and it has become one of my favorite hobbies. Between myself and the friends I've recruited, over 100 pounds of fat has been lost training for this ride! This fundraiser goes so far beyond just raising money for MS, and that alone is a great cause which I fully support!

My mother has been living with MS for decades now. Because of the MS Society, she has a support group of friends who help each other live and learn and grow with the disease. Years ago she started swimming with a MS Society-sponsored class, and now she swims miles every week, even though walking 1 mile takes hours of effort. That is a very cool thing. I am proud of what my mom can do, and thankful for all the ways this charity has helped her and me!!!

Riding my first MS 150 in 2002 spurred a fringe of participation in the cycling tour community. Since then, I've participated in a number of cycle tours, including the following: Elephant Rock (Castle Rock, Colorado) 2004, The Strawberry Century (Lebennon, Oregon) 2005, Tour de Blast (Toutle, Washington) 2005, The Monster Cookie (Salem, Oregon) 2006, Strawberry Century 2006, The Firecracker 100 (Bend, Oregon) 2006, Seattle to Portland 2005, Elephant Rock 2007, and The Tour de Blast 2008. It's funny to look back and think that I was inspirted to ride in these other events as training for the MS 150 because each and every tour has become a specil memory. I hope to expand my tour experience to other states, and eventually ride my bike in other countries.

If you like, you may go to the MS 150 Web Site and sponsor me by searching for my name and making a donation. Or you can just follow this the link here. Mailing checks is also an option. Just email me for an address. That's all is takes. It helps motivate me, it helps people living with MS, and all you give is 100% tax-deductable!

ANSWERS ABOUT MS

From the MS Society

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person's healthy tissue.

MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, and blindness and more. These problems may be permanent or may come and go.

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it. MS is not considered a fatal disease as the vast majority of people with it live a normal life-span. But they may struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing increasing limitations.

Anyone may develop MS but there are some patterns. More than twice as many women as men have MS. Studies suggest that genetic factors make certain individuals more susceptible than others, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited. It occurs more commonly among people with northern European ancestry. People of African, Asian, and Hispanic backgrounds are also diagnosed with MS, however, the incidence is much lower.

Approximately 400,000 Americans have MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. World-wide, MS affects about 2.5 million people. Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not require U.S. physicians to report new cases, and because symptoms can be completely invisible, the numbers can only be estimated.