On a quiet back road in Middlesex County, Elaine Richardson and her husband were in the middle of a 75-kilometre trek from Grand Bend to London to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). “I was diagnosed about 14 years ago, and so I’ve been very lucky,” said Richardson. “It doesn’t affect my daily life too much. You know, limited symptoms, but this is really important to me because MS Canada was there to support me when I was diagnosed.” The duo was among hundreds who started Saturday morning at the Grand Bend Motorplex and cycled to Fanshawe College in London, Ont. They stay overnight in residence and then do it all again Sunday morning. “Quite honestly, when I was first diagnosed, my neurologist thought I would be in a wheelchair within about three to five years, so I beat that,” said Matt Hutchinson, who was diagnosed 20 years ago, but still able to complete the ride for MS. MS is an autoimmune disease which affects the central nervous system. “Kind of like the sheathing around your nerves and essentially kind of causes short wires in your nervous system,” said Hutchinson. “Depending on where those connections are, it can affect people’s legs, arms, mobility, vision, all kinds of different effects. It can be very severe for people.” There is currently no cure. “It’s mostly fatigue, a little bit of numbness in certain parts of my body, especially when I’m tired,” said Hutchinson. “Just try to be active, try to watch what you eat a little bit moderation and get good rest.” The 36th edition of the MSBIKE featured some staggering numbers. There were 59 teams, 436 participants and they raised just over $700,000. Barry Travnicek brought in more than $65,000 individually, while the team “Butt Ugly” raised more than $130,000. There are currently 90,000 Canadians living with MS. “I was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago and, and have gone through various medications,” said Paul Grambo, who feels lucky that his case isn’t as severe as others. “I know that because I can do this (MSBIKE ride) and I’m going to do this for as long as I can, because I know that there are folks that it affects much more.” Richardson says this ride “represents hope” for her because MS Canada has a strong focus on finding a cure and “the fundraising is critical.” “Research is huge because we want a cure,” said Richardson. “We want to end MS, and it provides support for MS Canada in terms of reaching out to people who are diagnosed with programing and resources. The fundraising is critical, so I’ve been so grateful for the funds that were donated for me to do the ride. I’ve been really fortunate that my husband supported me on the ride. I don’t think I could do it without him.”
