The tool is much more intense when I deliver
those words in person.
My friends, this past Saturday evening, my
daughter and I stood before an audience of the most prominent supporters in
Oregon’s fight against the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis. Day one
of 2023’s Bike MS was in the books. We celebrated our success as a group,
having already raised over $475,000 to support fulfilling the National MS
Society’s theme of “A World Free of MS.”
I stood before the crowd gathered for Saturday’s
evening program to share my story.
“I will never see a world free of MS. I will
never see that. If MS is cured tomorrow, the damage that has been done to me is
unrecoverable. The memories it burned into my brain will never go away.”
I looked at Rogue.
“She will never see a world free of MS because of
the memories of her dad laying on the floor because he can’t move, her dad
bawling because of the memories of things that happened in his past, because of
what’s happening at the time, the hospital visits….”
I investigated the crowd and saw more than one
face wearing that “What the fuck is he talking about?” expression. Four weeks
of anxiety, building since that day Emily asked me to speak, spilled out onto
the stage. Relief kicked in now that I had finally said my piece.
The goal we are all fighting for is something I
will never realize, nor will my daughter. I chose not to accuse everyone in the
audience of the same destiny. This was my interpretation, my belief.
Nevertheless, I will continue to fight.
As we realize breakthroughs in the
identification, treatment, and eventually a cure for MS, we will continue to
win — we will continue to inch closer to the ultimate win: A World Free of MS.
“Rogue is going to look into the eyes of the
generation born that has no idea what MS is, that has never seen someone with
MS, that has never heard stories about it except in literature, that has no
idea of the pain it caused, and if they hear it, it’s just some folklore.”
Every parent wants more for their children, for
them to live a life better than they did. I smile when I think of the day Rogue
will look into the eyes of a world free of MS. I fundraise because that’s the
opportunity I hope to give my daughter. Until we can identify, treat, and
eventually cure MS, I will not stop fighting to raise the money needed to turn
this dream into reality.
I cannot do this without your support. Please
consider a donation to Rogue’s 2023 Bike MS campaign: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Rogue.
In exchange, I offer my undying gratitude. I will
continue to share my stories, feeding my anxiety so that I deliver the chaos of
my mind in a way you find entertaining. My words will continue to challenge,
engage, delight, and hopefully satisfy readers of my blogs, short stories, and
novels. Here’s a link I may have shared with you already, but I want to make
sure you have access to a free e-book version of my newest novel, the
psychological thriller Sensations: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/j0tql0zgn5.
I hope my story entertains you as much as it delighted me!
Beyond all this excitement, Rogue rode in her first Bike MS past weekend; It honored me to be by her side the entire way. Her honesty during the Saturday evening program was refreshing!
Here is a link to our full “A World Free of MS”
presentation – https://youtu.be/7vbrP9lSRm4.
Here is a shortened, two-minute version titled “A
World I Will Never See” – https://youtu.be/aZoHsIKFKWg.
Thank you for your continued support.
Love,
Kevin
Because it is a fight.
The fight is not over and it won’t be over until a cure is found.
It will never stop…nor will we
It will never quit…nor will we
This is why we ride!
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Please
donate today: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Rogue
No comments:
Post a Comment