Letter to the Editor: O'Brien plans Sept. 12 bike ride to support MS care

Hello Friends and Family,

On September 12^th and 13^th I will once again be riding in the 150 mile M.S. Bike Ride with my team the Swedish Smyelin Babes. This will be my third year bicycling for a cause that I’m passionate about. Our goal is to raise money to help people who have multiple sclerosis and to ultimately find a cure for a terrible disease that affects an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide.

We have made great strides in the last few years with the addition of an assortment of medications under trial today and others that have been approved by the FDA. Last September at around mile 64 I made friends with a 25-year-old bike rider named James who only four years ago was bed ridden from the effects of M.S. Because of new medical advances, James was able to ride his bike with us. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this menacing disease that attacks the nerves of otherwise healthy people. Current medicines and treatment work for some and not for others. Even patients undergoing historically effective treatments can be symptom free one day and bed ridden the next. M.S. affects everyone differently and can change at any time.

I’m riding for my wife and best friend Nancy. When she was first diagnosed with M.S. in the fall of 2006, we didn’t know what to expect and we were scared. Fortunately, she is doing well although she occasionally experiences some symptoms of M.S. She gives herself a daily injection of a medication called Copaxone that slows the destructive progression of the disease. Due to this medicine, combined with her positive outlook on life, her overall health is good.

I wish to thank all of you who have sponsored me in years past. Your donations have done great things for people living with M.S. Private donations have a profound impact in the funding of M.S. research and assistance. For this reason, I’m asking for your support again as I ride in this year’s M.S. Bike Ride. The first year I participated, I raised over $10,000. Last year I decided not to actively fund raise, however many of you so generously helped me raise over $500. This year, I’m going for the $10,000 mark again and with your generosity, we will get there.

To sponsor me, you can send a check to the address above made out to the National M.S. Society or you can go online to donate at https://www.nationalmssociety.org/bikems2009