~cHaos~

I am riding in the MS 150, aka the "Tour de Vine" - a 150-mile bike tour through the vinyards of central Virginia on June 9-10. I am raising money and awareness to fight multiple sclerosis. Please check out my personal page and sponsor me. I will keep you updated on my training.

Please help by making a donation

WHAT IS MS?

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. It is a disease that randomly attacks your nervous system, wearing away the control you have over your body. MS comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career? The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of the disease cannot be foreseen. You never know when attacks will occur, how long they will last, or how severe they will be. MS attacks myelin, the fatty material that insulates nerves. At these sites where myelin is damaged, the nerves can t transmit impulses rapidly or efficiently to and from the brain, and this produces various symptoms of MS. These sites where myelin is lost are called plaques or lesions and appear on MRIs as scar tissue. Hence, the term multiple sclerosis literally means many scars. In MS, these scars appear at different times and in different areas of the brain and spinal cord, thereby affecting people differently.

WHAT CAUSES MS?

The cause of MS is not yet known, but thousands of researchers all over the world are meticulously putting the pieces of this complicated puzzle together. The damage to myelin in MS may be due to an abnormal response of the body s immune system, which normally defends the body against invading bacteria and viruses. Many of the characteristics of MS suggest an auto-immune disease whereby the body attacks its own cells and tissue. Since 1993, six drugs to affect the course of MS have been approved by the FDA and made available to some people with MS. Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

WHO GETS MS?

Every week, 200 Americans are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 15 and 50. They are our neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends. Women are more likely to develop MS than men. With the advent of specialized diagnostic markers such as the MRI, cases of MS are being diagnosed in childhood and adolescence. MS is not contagious. It is not an inherited disease, nor is it genetically transmitted, but there does appear to be some genetic susceptibility to the disease. Research has shown a slightly higher risk of MS in families where it has already occurred.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

In 2006, 34% of the funds raised by the Blue Ridge Chapter were used for National Programs and Research efforts to find the cause, treatment, and cure of multiple sclerosis; 49% funded Chapter programs, and professional and public education. The Chapter serves over 2,900 people with MS and their families. The Chapter kept its combined fundraising and administrative expenses to 17% in FY 2006. The Chapter makes every attempt to keep expenses very low so that more of your pledges may be used for our mission to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis.

I dream about tornados... I walk through them, they rush over me - I stick my hands in them as they swirl before me. A tornado touched down on the end of my parents' street in Georgia the day they brought me home from the hospital when I was born. Thus began my life.

Awesome Tornado

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"One must still have chaos in oneself
to be able to give birth
to a dancing star."

~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

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I am interested in almost everything.yoga, health and fitness, reading and writing, photography, sunshine, swimming, volleyball, hiking, biking, camping, climbing, running (After 27 years I discovered that I love to run.), water, beaches, oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, mountains, - guess I love the Earth in general, preferring the jungle to civilization and islands to continents - poi, singing, a good sense of humor, dirty jokes, curse words, live music, festivals, scuba, traveling, driving, religion, learning, teaching, listening, talking, loving, gerunds

"I cannot make my phone ring by looking at it."