How I Became Involved

My family first became involved with the MS Society in 1998, when my parents rode their first MS 150 Bike Tour. After many invitations from church friends John and Jenny M., my parents joined team "Blazing Saddles" in honor of Jenny M.'s mother who had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. With no knowledge of what MS was, my parents raised a few thousand dollars, and were simply enjoying spending time with friends.

When I asked them what they remember most about that weekend, my mom answered that, "everyone was very friendly. Volunteers, bikers, and MS staff all had positive personalities." She also noted that the weekended consisted of perfect biking weather for the hundreds of bikers traveling from Duluth, MN, to the Anoka County Fairgrounds (near the Twin Cities).

Nine weeks later, while attending a family camp, my dad woke up with effects which appeared to be the result of a stroke. He noticed slight numbness in the left side of his face. Friends offered suggestions to why this might be. "Maybe you slept on it funny" was a common suggestion. However, this feeling persisted and increased as the day progressed.

By the next morning, the left side of his face was significantly worse. It felt very numb, and he had intense difficulty forming words, as he had little to no control of the muscles in his face. This startling phenomenon lead to a trip to the emergency room for my dad and my mom.

While at the emergency room at Mercy Hospital, a CT scan was performed. A doctor informed my parents that my dad had two lesions on his brain indicative of MS. My parents were frightened, confused, and unsure of what may lie ahead of them. At this point, neither of them knew what MS even was! The doctor then gave them a referral to a neurologist, whom they saw that afternoon.

The neurologist suggested a visit to the local MS Society chapter, which happened to be in Minneapolis. He gave them a few brochures about MS and the three medications available: Betaseron, Avonex, and Copaxone.

The thought of visiting the MS society initially scared them. Each person my parents met whom had MS was in a wheelchair, had very progressed MS, or both. Would my dad end up in a wheelchair? Would he be able to work? Would he be able to spend time with his two young girls? How long would he be around?

The answers to many of these questions were answered almost immediatly upon entering the MS Society. As they walked through the doors, they were greeted by a regular volunteer, who had MS. They were surprised to see that this woman was not in a wheelchair, did not have trouble with her speech or motor skills, and did not appear to have MS! She informed them that she had been living with MS for nearly twenty years. This one statement gave my parents emmense relief. Seeing someone whom had been living with MS or so long doing so well, was inspiring.