It was in August of 2016 that I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after a particularly nasty recurrence of symptoms that left me too weak to walk or play with my sons. As I get older, I'm realizing that time moves pretty quickly and the past three years have be no different. Mixed in these three years have been many challenging times for me and my family.
MS is a hell of a disease.
A recent post on the National MS Society's Instagram shared the following quote:
"You look so good.' This is life with an invisible illness. To everyone else, you look like a normal healthy person.----You can't see it, but we feel it. Always.....understand that even though we look ok from the outside, on the inside it's a different story. @a.giangiordano
When I read this, I saw my life reflecting back in the words. On most days, despite how I feel, I generally look "good." I'm not on a cane like I've been before, I'm going to work and I'm out with my family. I credit this to the treatment I undergo and a remarkable ability and stamina to push through each day despite often times feeling like total garbage. Each day that I wake up, my symptoms are a surprise house guest knocking at the door. Sometimes it's a migraine, other times heavy fatigue or even a floating neuropathy that numbs a foot or hand. Recently there have been struggles with depression that pull me down a hole I sometimes doubt I can get out of.
It's hard, but that's not to say it's all bad. It's just a matter of making adjustments and understanding that there will always be good days and bad days.
I've shared how lucky I am to have an amazing partner in Kate who carries the load for our family and how exercise has helped me navigate my illness. Since then, I've completed two Bike MS rides. A 30 mile ride around Manhattan last fall and a beautiful 50 mile ride along the Connecticut coast this past June. I have treated each one of these rides as a celebration of life. They are opportunities to give thanks for the mere fact that I am able to complete these challenges as well as raise funds to fight this disease and find a cure.
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| Bike MS NYC 2018 |
I am registered for Bike MS NYC 2019. I am pushing myself with two challenges. First, I will be completing the 50 mile course that travels through the Holland Tunnel and back over the George Washington Bridge. From completing the ride in June, I know that I can physically do it while also being aware that I never exactly know what each day, week or month holds for me and my health. I am also challenging myself to raise $2,000, no small amount particularly since so many have already been generous with my past rides and walks.
You can check out my fundraising page here. Any donation great or small would be appreciated.
Let's ride.
