MAKING A DIFFERENCE

For most of us, life is made up of moments. We remember and keep with us these moments as significant milestones in our lives.

I can remember for example the worst moment of my life. I spent 5 years building an airplane. When it was finally finished I took it to the local airport for its maiden flight. This was a culmination of a dream that started when I was a young boy fascinated by airplanes. The weather forecast was not good and I had to wait for a few days before it would be acceptable for the first flight. A tornado hit the airport on the 4th day and collapsed 6 hangers; my airplane was inside one of them. I remember this day like it was yesterday. The dream, the years and countless hours of work all gone in an instant. My reaction was like most; why me? What could I have possibly done to deserve this? Looking back now, I can say that I was lucky, yes that's right, lucky. I still had something that could be rebuilt and made whole again. It is just a thing, it can always be "fixed". After two years of doing just that, I rebuilt it and have enjoyed countless hours of enjoyment and satisfaction flying it over the years.

For some, life's moments can be more than just inconveniences, but rather life-changing. My wife Sara can define the worst moment of her life as being the day she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Imagine being told; You have MS and as of yet there is no cure. How do you handle a moment like that? Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable neurological disease that affects an estimated 400,000 people in the United States; more than 10,000 people in Wisconsin live with MS. That is one in every 500 Wisconsinites. Three-quarters of those who have MS are women. Since its inception in 1946, the MS society has invested more than $500 million in biomedical research to solve the puzzle of MS. Today, there are five drug treatments available that may slow or delay the progression of MS. But as of yet, there is NO CURE for this debilitating disease. Our only hope for a cure is through research, and the only thing that drives research is money; lots and lots of money. Someday we will find a cure for this disease. I can only hope that it will not be too late for Sara. She needs a miracle, and she needs it soon!

YOU can make a difference in the lives of people with MS. On August 7th & 8th Sara and I will be riding our recumbent tandem in the annual MS-150 Best Dam Bike Tour. This is a 2 day event that brings together over 1600 cyclists to "RIDE FOR A CURE". Since its inception, the MS-150 has raised more than $20 million for MS research and educational support programs. This is Why We Ride!

So what are you waiting for? Dust off that bicycle and sign up to ride. You don't have to feel alone, as you can join our team "The Sonic Streamers" if you would like. If you can not ride, then help us achieve our fundraising goal of $10,000 by mailing us a pledge or donating on-line. Either way, you can help us work towards the miracle that Sara and thousands like her need to find a cure for this terrible disease before it is too late. If I could give the airplane that I built - lost - and rebuilt again to someone in exchange for a cure for MS, I would do it in a heartbeat. I can always build another airplane, but I can not "fix" the one person who is my life partner and best friend.

I long for the moment that I can say; I helped find a cure for MS. I would be honored to have you join me in that moment!