Two weeks ago, I rode my
recumbent trike for the first time in over a year. Infections, reactions from
my medications, kept me off the road for Bike MS last year. For the sake of
safety, I cannot be out on the road by myself — my training and conditioning is
usually focused at the gym. Effective March 14th, COVID-19 but a temporary halt
to my training program, just one of countless interruptions in this strange new
world. Walks around the neighborhood were not meeting my needs.
In a few weeks, I had my trike
set up on a fluid bike trainer in the garage. With a few modifications and some
creative jerry-rigging, I was set up for some intense workouts. If I stop
pedaling at the highest pace I can reach, my trike will “coast” for
approximately two tire rotations!
Saturday was my first true
training ride in preparation for the 2020 Bike MS. 50 miles. Uphill training –
all the way – all the time. Sunday was 25 miles. My goal for May is at least
one century ride.
I started thinking about Bike
MS. Late April or early May is usually around the time I share my first message
about the upcoming season, laying the groundwork for several months of
fundraising outreach messages. The funny part is that usually around this time
at least two or three of my sponsors will reach out and ask me how my prep is
going - when they will get the donation links! It is comforting to know my
supporters, family, and friends share concern for my priorities.
I started thinking. Will my
supporters be concerned about my fundraising this year? Should they? For that
matter, what is my concern about my fundraising for 2020? What is my priority?
Never Stop
Never Quit
I made the decision not to
directly solicit donations for my 2020 Bike MS campaign. My donors have
supported our fight for the past 17 years. Family, friends, and incredible
communities supported me personally for the past 21 years. In this period of
turmoil and crisis for so many, the last thing I want to do is ask you to
prioritize my fight again. This is my chance to show you what your donations
have bought, your love has nourished, and what has been built atop the pillars
of your support.
[When the fight is over, will
you stop?]
No.
[If the fight ends, will you
quit?]
No.
[Prove it.]
To steal a phrase from a
not-so-famous-yet author – while we wait “in abeyance” for life to resume, I am
going to take the opportunity and share with you the life I will lead when
there is no more fear. My stories will be those of success, victories, and
perseverance. I don’t quite know what my limitations have become, but they are
just a fraction of what they were in the past. I want to boast about my energy
and capabilities. I want to celebrate the life we all helped reenergize. I want
to paint the picture of a man happily frustrated, even as he moves faster and
faster, doing more and more because he wants even more…to go even faster. My
Inside Voice will mock me for the failures I experience, not because I have
multiple sclerosis, but because I am a 48-year-old man who thinks he just
became a teenager again.
Instead of asking for more
money, I want to spend this year showing you what your money has already paid
for: my treatments, my care, my comfort, and my motivation.
[But you will not turn down
donations.]
But I will not turn down
donations. My fundraising links are always active. Donations to the National MS
Society in support of Eleanor’s 2020 Bike MS campaign or to the NEVER STOP
NEVER QUIT private charitable foundation are still very much needed and
lovingly appreciated.
We are not there yet. The
fight is not over, and it won’t be over until a cure is found. Much like life
in this pandemic, my mind has grown tired of fear.
This is not about what my life
will be like when the fight is over.
I will never stop
I will never quit
This is my story
100%
of the royalties earned from my books go to the National MS Society, to support
our fight: http://neverstopneverquit.com/books
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Kevin
Byrne
Portland,
OR
Never Stop…
Never Quit…
Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
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