Go Mashers!

I think I will take a break from my rambling to give a shout out to some folks riding their butt’s off for a good cause. Team Mary’s Mashers are navigating their trusty metal steeds over 150 miles of east coast roads in the Delaware MS bike ride today. This energetic 4 person team (along with an awesome support vehicle operator) will pedal 75 miles today and 75 miles tomorrow in hopes to raise money for MS research. And at the helm of this lineup is Mary who is not only the brave team leader, but she is also has MS.

Those of you who know me are aware of the charities I support. I’ve given money and time to organizations like the LIVEStrong Foundation, the American Cancer Society and other groups that support research in finding cures for cancer. I still wear my “yellow band”, long after they have gone out of style and are no longer the fad. I don’t do it for attention or as a “look at me” tool, but rather I brand it to show awareness of the disease that has taken the lives of countless people in my life, to include three grandparents. But today is not about me or the charities that I contribute to. Today's entry is for a team comprised of some wonderful people riding to raise money and awareness of a disease, like cancer, that science hasn’t found a cure for yet. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the protective lining of your nerves. Victims of MS have various symptoms because the disease attacks different nerves. They can have decreased coordination, loss of balance, numbness, muscle spasms and fatigue, and that’s just a few of the symptoms. With medication and education, people with MS can manage the effects and live normal lives and there are even extraordinary people like Mary who don’t let the disease slow her down, not even a little bit. Just to give you an idea of her enthusiasm, not 24 hours ago she was in a business meeting in California (but she lives in Ohio) and she proceded to fly straight into Delaware to pedal with her team today. If that's not motivated, I'm not sure what is. Like cancer, there is a lot of research going into fighting this disease and scientists have made great strides in limiting the ill effects that the MS patient suffers, but there is still a lot to learn before a cure is found.

Here is what you can do to help. MS Bike rides are not that uncommon and most of you have probably seen ads for rides in your area. My suggestion is to go to the MS webpage or check your local bike shop to see who is putting together a team and support them in any way you can. Better yet, dust off that trusty 10 speed in your garage and start your own team and feel good knowing that you contributed a weekend of your time and a little sweat to a worthy cause.

So, for to the team members of Mary’s Mashers, have a safe ride and know that I’m pulling for you from afar, even if the only thing I can do is pray for flat roads and no headwind. Once this whole Iraq thing is done and over with, maybe next year I could lend my bike mechanic and photography skills to the team. I’ll even offer to ride, assuming that I still remember how to pedal a bike after being a pedestrian for over a year. :)


If you are interested in learning more about MS, check out the National MS Society Web Page.

If you are interested in learning more about Mary and her band of crazy cyclist, visit Mary's Mashers.