Ten years from now, we will look back on this year with amazement over what came next.
Yellow entries in my online calendar categorize
key moments and other significant events in my life. I smile when the annual
reminder pops up on my smartphone every November 23; this year will be the 32nd
anniversary of my first solo helicopter flight. Random entries serve as
reminders of events that affected my life. I started writing …in abeyance on July 7, 2017, first
shared the phrase “Never Stop… Never Quit…” on April 30, 2008, and spent my
last Army day in uniform on August 21, 2000.
Rather than boring you with an exhaustive list of
emotional moments, I’ll share my entry for September 23, 2025. It will read “2025
Bike MS – A Watershed Year” with a link to this blog post.
My report on the events building up to and
throughout this year’s Bike MS will try to explain how our fight against the
debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis exploded into fantastic waves of
successes.
This momentum needs your support for our 2025
fundraising campaign.
Please donate to
support our fight.
Direct to our Bike
MS campaign: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Rogue
Other ways to donate
(100% of the money goes to our Bike MS campaign. I pay all administrative
costs): https://NeverStopNeverQuit.com/Donate
This is my story…
“I need to do something different” is a phrase
that crosses my lips more often than you might expect. My initial thoughts on
planning and preparing for this year’s Bike MS shifted the word “different” to
“better,” then to “memorable.” Adjectives replaced one after another until they
dropped off. “I need to do something” became more appropriate as my body
continued to fail me. I was taking a shower after a morning workout and reached
down for the shampoo bottle on the floor. I placed a few pumps into my left
hand before grabbing the wrist with my right and raising it to my hair. Most of
it smeared onto my scalp before the arm dropped; my right took over and finished
the task.
Washing your hair is one of 99,000 tasks you
never think twice about until some part of your body stops working. My left
arm, hand, and fingers… My left leg and toes… How much have I lost? I can’t
even begin to give you a percentage since I don’t remember what the baseline
felt like. Showering, dressing, and basic grooming are suddenly luxuries that
require constant struggle. Cooking and laundry, if completed without mishaps,
introduce more challenges with eating and dressing. Mishaps over the past year
have led to cracked ribs, scalding burns, and many bloodied injuries. Every
time, I cleaned the mess while trying to downplay the issue with sarcasm.
I tried not to focus on the question, “What’s
next?” Whatever it is, it will keep getting worse.
I tried not to focus on the question, “How bad
would it get?” I knew the answer, even though I still could not imagine it.
Be assured, my head was not in the sand. I knew
it was bad. I know it is going to get worse. Those simple facts did nothing but
strengthen my resolve that I will Never Stop… I will Never Quit… I
will do it for them.
Yesterday
My goal for Bike MS 2025 was to make the event fun
and celebrate every moment of this fight.
Normally a two-day event, my Bike MS lasted a
week-plus. I shared my story of last Sunday with “The
Aftermath of Bike MS.” The fact that I rode my recumbent
trike, strapped to a trainer in my garage, a hundred miles on a (very) slight
incline setting, was my cause for celebration. Only once, at the end of the
night, did my leg give out and buckle under the weight of my body. It took
another four days before I felt recovered. During that time, it was okay to
slow, crawl, cry, and curse, but there was never a thought that I would stop or
quit. Never, so there is no reason to dwell on the difficulties my body
endured.
My priorities shifted to getting my garage back
in order and taking notes on how this event can be even more over-the-top next
year. By late Thursday, it was like it never happened. Bike MS is usually
underway on the Friday of event weekend. That was when I used to travel down to
the site to prepare for my early morning start time. This year was different.
With the 2025 victory under my belt, Jamie and I celebrated at the Billy Idol
and Joan Jett concert! Hours of walking and standing made me feel almost (gasp)
normal. That feeling has crept up a few times in the past month, but it’s still
something I have not been used to for a long time.
We made it to McMinnville on Saturday to share
the celebration with our Bike MS community. That’s exactly what I did. I
celebrated. Past years produced dozens, even hundreds, of pictures and videos.
I put my iPhone away this year and soaked in the festivities. This is the only
picture I took at the event.
Smiles of excitement and the energy of motivation
are the valuable reminders I’m left with.
Today
Awareness and support are the only two things
that matter.
Awareness:
videos and stories highlight my resolve to Never Stop… Never Quit… for them.
The damage inflicted by multiple sclerosis is evident every time you watch me
try to do something. It’s important to me that my donors, supporters, loved
ones, and others fighting this disease see my resolve.
Support: I
want people to witness what MS has done to my body, so that it inspires them to
provide the help needed for others fighting alongside me and the others who
have yet to endure this burden. I don’t have many skills, so the best way I can
contribute is by raising awareness and the money needed for research,
development, therapies, and physical/mental support programs.
As I pedaled and pedaled to nowhere, looking around
the garage, my mind began to wander. “How can I make this bigger and flashier
next year?” Ooooooh, the ideas continue to flood my brain, each new one better
than the last!
What’s already
in the works
Branding my fight beyond words and videos started
with creating stores through Amazon.com and Printify. I want the items to speak
for themselves, so take a look at https://buyneverstopneverquit.blogspot.com
or https://neverstopneverquit.printify.me.
Please browse through my online catalogs. If you see something you like, please
make a purchase. If you’d like to see something else, drop me a line and let’s
chat.
Awareness:
Every time someone wears our clothing or displays our swag, they become a
walking billboard for our message!
Support:
On top of that, 100% of the royalties earned from these sales go directly to
NEVER STOP NEVER QUIT. If you want to see something else, shoot me a message
and we can design it.
My hastily
designed setup needs a lot of work. The good thing is we have time and will
dedicate energy toward creating the items that will generate excitement.
Tomorrow
Much of what I wrap up in my thoughts about today
has to do with “what’s next.” There is no separator between tomorrow and today.
My MS will get worse tomorrow, but it is already declining. I will take steps
to raise support and awareness tomorrow, but they are already underway now.
Thank you for the
motivation and support.
With 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 fight for them!
Never Stop… Never Quit…®
Follow,
Shop, or Donate Today: https://NeverStopNeverQuit.com
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