Building Upon an Inanimate Foundation

Today’s blog addresses three points: a declaration, a focus, and a calling.

Escape to the Lake 2003 was my first foray into bike MS, a solo trip completing the NMSS Western Pennsylvania Chapter’s ride from Pittsburgh to Lake Erie. Twenty-three more events across New York, Delaware, Washington, and here in Oregon afforded me the opportunity to ride with family, friends (old and new), and the most fantastic army of heroes ever assembled. Their legend will continue to grow in 2025.

Tales of what we accomplished were the subjects, in some form or fashion, of 197 separate blog stories. Lonely miles across blazing hot asphalt, post-ride hijinks and celebrations, tears of joy for the impact our effort continues to make—I could waste hours of your time revisiting every blessed moment I remember and never begin to scratch the surface!

The best I can offer at this point begins with one declaration.

2025 will be unprecedented.

Snippets of information will tease the tangible meaning behind this opening salvo, fed through a string of stories from now throughout the summer.

(more to come)

Rogue defined my focus before ’24 came to a close. Her statement “It should say for them” combines the persuasiveness of a seasoned debater’s calculated argument, backed by volumes of supporting data, with the flippancy of a matter-of-fact statement reiterating something I should have learned during my 1999 “Welcome to Multiple Sclerosis” in-briefing. It took 25 years, but I got it. In a world where it is the habitually gloomy who often has the loudest voices, complaining how there is nothing left to discover, nothing to say that hasn’t been said already, I offer you this.

Googling the phrase “It should say for them” yielded two results. Two. Rogue owns a tiny little niche in cyberspace for the moment. Enjoy the fame while you can, My Little Love, for it won’t last long.

Branding for them across NEVER STOP NEVER QUIT is moving at full throttle. Invigorated by Rogue’s mandate, everything we do has refreshed energy and focus. The results will be, well, unprecedented. In fact, here’s my first tease of what will happen. Before the end of our 2025 campaign, we will celebrate major market national branding (video, digital, print) of our mantra Never Stop… Never Quit… for them.

Who is “them,” and why do they deserve so much attention?

for them applies to countless souls within this absurd sphere of multiple sclerosis. Do you know someone fighting MS? Are they your spouse, parent, child, or extended family member? Perhaps they’re a friend, coworker, significant other, teammate, someone you’ve known forever, or a person you just met. Maybe you read about them, saw them on TV, or caught their blog. However you know them, their tenacity in the fight against the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis touched you in a way you never thought possible. Perhaps you are the one with MS, and them is a spouse, parent, child, extended family member, friend, coworker, significant other, teammate, or someone you know, read about, saw on TV, or caught their blog. Or do you have an entirely different perspective when you catch the innocent expression of the baby who does not yet know about the pain and suffering multiple sclerosis will cause in their life? Whoever they are, I want to know about them.

My calling is for you to share the special people in your life who fall under that overarching justification for why we will never stop and what we will never quit. Rogue refused to put boundaries on “for them,” and neither did I. I’m asking you to send me the details on those who deserve recognition.

- Do you know someone fighting MS? Please tell me when they were diagnosed.

- Are they a special connection in our fight against MS? Please tell me what the relationship is to you.

- Please send me pictures, videos, descriptions, and stories (pictures and videos!). I would prefer you to send them privately to me (direct message, email, text). Whatever contact you have, wherever you read this calling, send your recognition. Please provide as much or as little as you want to share.

I will collect everything sent and build a tribute worthy of the claim “that is unprecedented.”

So that I don’t stain these words with unnecessary noise, I’ll keep this blog post short(ish) and sweet. The real work begins when my words post.

Today is January 18, 2025.

Bike MS Oregon is scheduled for September 20-21, 2025.

It’s 245 days until then.

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 fight for them!

 

Never Stop… Never Quit…^®

Follow, Shop, or Donate Today: https://NeverStopNeverQuit.com