2014

Wow, how time flies by. I have been neglecting my blog because I sometimes feel that I have nothing good to write about, but that is not true. Sara's struggle with MS slowly gets worse and we have to adapt and accommodate these changes. As you remember she had a bad fall last year and broke her femur that required many months off of work. So we had to make the hard decision to move her from a cane to a walker. She now uses one at home and one at work. Once she overcame the mental stigma of having to accept this change, I think she has now grown to like having control and confidence in her getting around again. She can move around the house very well now with very few issues, has a place to sit if she needs to, and can haul stuff around on the thing as well. With 2 hands holding on her balance issues can be controlled and since then no unexpected falls. We also added a custom made wheel chair to our stable for the times we want to enjoy an event that involves a lot of walking. My next goal is to add an electric system to her trike so she can go for a ride with help up the hills and enjoy riding on her own bike more.

We are also looking at beginning some re-modeling around our home with the addition of a garage/shop for me which will open up space for a swim spa for her. Swimming is the best exercise platform for someone with MS. She now goes into our town for pool sessions with a therapist but this can be difficult as the fatigue from the session makes it hard for her to get back home. So being able to swim in the comfort of our own home should help her to keep moving and stay strong. And best of all; she loves to swim and be in the cool water. Along with this re-modeling will be some access changes including a nice long ramp from our house into the garage, 3 steps down. Those 3 steps have been a common spot for falls in the past and just have to go. It will also accommodate the wheel chair if and when we need to use it.

We had a welcomed new addition to our family when our niece Samantha and her husband VenkAt had a healthy baby boy August 22nd, 2014, Denzel Jaidan Thangaraj. We flew our twin Cessna out to Denver to visit soon after birth and Sara has been back via the airlines to help out and spoil, spoil, spoil. As a new mom Samantha has a ton of questions and has used Sara as her trusted resource for all her pediatric questions. This make Sara feel great and I have not seen her so happy for Samantha who has grown into a wonderful woman. We have also grown to know and love VenkAt and they will make great parents I am sure. Samantha even quit her job to be a full time stay at home mom which is lacking in our society these days. Although economically unfeasible sometimes, they are fortunate that VenkAt has had great success at his job and can support his family in an honorable way. When I see Sara with Denzel I wonder why she never wanted to have her own child, but that is a story for another day.

We had a pretty good ride as you can read from my 2014 ride summary but Sara did not get to ride as far as she would have liked. We did cross both finish lines together so that was great, but I know that she really misses the start. At the start you see all the riders going over their last minute things to prepare themselves and their bikes. You see friends you have grown to know from the ride and there is often an emotional speaker that gets everyone in the right attitude to push on for MS. My plan is to do the entire ride on my own bike up to the last rest stop and then pick up Sara for the ride to the finish line. The fact is that thru our training rides we know she is good for about 20 miles and that is it. But I say heck; many people we know can't ride 20 miles without MS.

I can fill a book with all the bad things that MS has done to Sara and I. Many times I get mad as hell at this damn disease and wonder how such a good person as Sara could get such a crappy future after a life of serving society in the nursing profession. Life can be unpredictable and cruel sometimes just as is MS. Bad things happen to good people and we can make no sense of it. But the one thing that keeps us going is hope and love. This experience has made our relationship as solid as stone. Sara needs me and I her. She often comments on the fact that I got a raw deal when I married her, but I have become a better man as a result. We made a deal that each of us would marry only one time in our lives, and that will never change. I am not going anywhere. Sure I could have bailed out when things got bad like a coward and added more adventures to my long list, but no thanks, I'm good. "Back burner boy" is staying put. I am where I am suppose to be.

Some sobering statistics of MS currently are that we have over 2.5 million people diagnosed in the world today with over 400,000 here in the United States and over 11,000 here in Wisconsin. In the US about 200 new people are diagnosed each week. Many are walking around un-diagnosed. This movement to find a cure is more important than ever, and your support of the effort is so appreciated.

Thanks to all our close friends who have supported the cause of MS not just for Sara, but for everyone affected by this disease as well as those who care for them.

Donate, or come ride with us... Make a Difference!

Onward,
Mike