Summer of '09

I was just listening to Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 song and it made me think about this summer and how it is almost over. But before I start writing about this summer, you ought to listen to the song first!

So let's start with June: Right after school ended, I spent a marvelous week with friends in Brigantine. It was great to sit around, talk, eat outdoors, and of course, hang out at the beach and get a mega-dose of vitamin D (which, for a MS patient like me, is very good!)

Then my first relapse hit. I was fine one day and then, Boom! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Mind you, I had not had any symptoms since November of last year. I had the usual stiffness around the neck at the end of the day and the daily fatigue - but all treatable and manageable.

In the relapse, I felt like many nerves were firing out of control. Have you ever been shocked from an electrical outlet? That is what most of my body felt like day in and day out. But there was also numbness; my left arm all the way down to my hands, and my right thigh. And I found myself experiencing the "MS Hug," a stiffness of the rib muscles that makes breathing difficult and talking too painful to attempt. I spent two and a half weeks reclined on the sofa reading many books, watching silly TV shows, and sleeping -- lots of sleeping. Solid foods were out of the question so my kidneys got a good flushing.

July: As miserable as the relapse was, at least it happened partially during the Tour de France. I would have been on the sofa for that event, medical problems or not. The difference with the relapse was that when coverage ended for the day, I didn't get up and do other things.

It took at least three weeks to get back to "normal." To be able to drive myself, to eat solid foods again, and to walk unsupported and unassisted -- these were major victories. The fatigue and sensitivity to heat and humidity are still present.

An important milestone toward getting back on my feet was our participation in the 2nd Annual Barbara Cook Run-Ride-Walk halfway through the month. It was wonderful to be able to complete this 31-mile ride, even as I realized that it was only the recumbent tricycles we were riding that made it possible: I cannot balance a bike any more. As it was, we didn't turn in the best performance of our lives, but we finished it.

At the end of July I did my final presentation for the NJ EXCEL program, the licensing procedure for my school administrator's credentials. The eight days' prep was accomplished with lots of breaks and naps. Fatigue, of course, was one problem (always!), but the stress of the presentation was equally difficult. I was walking a very fine line between causing another relapse and not completing the program. I avoided contact with anyone not directly involved in NJ EXCEL and tried to get as much rest as I could. Thankfully, this worked.

August: As a reward for finishing my coursework with flying colors, I spent another couple of days with my friends in Brigantine. Again, the rest was wonderful.

Upon my return, Larry and I managed to squeeze in a few short rides around home in preparation for the Green Branch Century Ride on August 8th. This is sponsored every year by the South Jersey Wheelmen, my favorite cycling club.

Just after this ride I began to feel like I was having another relapse, but a visit to the doctor confimed that I had picked up an internal infection. Like the relapse, this was also my first. The MS medicine shuts down part of the immune system's effectiveness and leaves patients open to these opportunistic infections. After a week and half of treatment with a standard anti-bacterial medication, I can now say that I am past both the relapse and the infection. This is the first time in my life that "normal" is a state I have had to fight for.

We are now looking forward to the last organized ride on August 22nd which will be the Shorefire Century with the White Clay Bicycle Club of Delaware. After this ride, we will continue to do rides around Medford and Lumberton and prepare for the MS-150 at the beginning of October. If you see us on the road, a friendly wave is always appreciated.

Although the Summer of '09 has not been "the best days of my life" I will have to agree with Mr. Adams that "nothin' will last forever." I am indeed making progress and coping with MS and looking forward to better times in the Summer of '10.

Until then, all the best,

Nina

Another Ride - But This Year It's Different!

Dear Friends,

As you know, we have done the MS 150 City to Shore ride every fall since 2001 to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research. It's always been fun to join thousands of our fellow riders to raise money for these valuable research and assistance programs, but there has been a sober side to it, too: our riding has always been in behalf of friends and loved ones and we have always said in our letters to you that "it's personal."

Just after the event last year this personal side of it came crashing home in an unexpected way: Nina was diagnosed with Recurring and Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis.

We realized that her aches and pains were not the result of the changing seasons; the stiffness and soreness weren't caused by moving too many library books at work; and the chest pains she has had for years weren't the symptoms of a bad heart valve, as she had been told. It became

clear that her occasional bruising from bumping into tables or door frames wasn't due to high heeled shoes or wet floors: we began to take stairways slowly, arm in arm.

Since untreated MS can get very serious very quickly, she

immediateley began taking an injection every night, rotating the sites according to a designated pattern.

Buying our tricycles three years ago was prophetic: if we hadn't bought them then for fun, we would have had to buy them this year out of necessity: balance is now a problem for Nina and the trikes' stability isn't a novelty it's a requirement for any riding at all.

Well, with these things in mind, we wondered whether we should ride this year. Can she do it? Should she try? Our training this summer is much more focused, much more "Go - No Go."

But exercise is part of the treatment, and so far the shots are effective. And, as with so many other things, attitude is critical. Nina is a patient - no denying that - but if you know her at all, you know that "victim" is a word she would never apply to herself. She's a fighter, and doing the ride is a vital connection to normal life, and to things in the here-and-now that matter.

So we are going ahead with a well-planned summer of riding training in a disciplined way. There are other exercises, too, and keeping a healthy diet, getting sufficient sleep, and (very important) lowering her stress level. And, of course, there are the shots (which will have to be taken along), and regular visits to the doctor along the way to confirm that she is able to ride.

So -- this year especially -- can we count on you to support us in attaining our goal? Here is one

easy way to contribute: Sponsor Us with an Online E-Pledge!

• Click on the following URL: http://bikepae.nationalmssociety.org/



• In the blue field at the top of the page, find a gray box. Under Quick Links, click on Donate/ePledge. You will be asked to identify the event you are supporting.



• Find New Jersey - Bike MS: City to Shore Ride 2009 and click on Donate/ePledgeimmediately to the right. You will be taken to a page called Find a Participant or Team.


• Click on the "radio button" next to Search for a participant. In the appropriate fields, type either Nina Franco or William Kleinbrook. Thend click on Find a Participant below.



• The name will appear in blue print below the table. Click on it.



• You will be taken to Nina's or my personal page. Below the thermometer, click on Donate to Participant!


• You will be taken to a page where you can fill out the particulars of your donation.

Thanks again for helping to make smiles where they are needed!

Nina and Larry