MS Trikers: 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.