MS ... It's that time, the riders in Texas are READY

Laura and daughter Shauna after the

MS ride in 2009

Our warrior Laura Roorda is getting getting on the plane today to fly the friendly skies to Texas,

the excitement is mounting

as she readies to board the plane to see her beloved daughter Shauna and her partner Dixie out there...

Shauna and Laura

2010

boy is she fast, lean, and determined!

And this year?

Heaven only knows she will take the road

the wind

and

one thing is certain

Laura will be jumpin at the finish

to welcome her once again

with

OPEN arms a flailing

and hollering like an eagle at her

eaglet that has soared once again!

She has been training

she and Dixie

they together are quite a duo

two women on a mission!

They have been riding their butts off (quite literally) in training,

each riding spin classes, each putting in the miles on week-ends over 100 miles a week-end,

training for the big event.

THE BP MS RIDE FOR THE CURE!

Sponsored by the

MS Foundation annually

and usually met with weather that would make even seasoned campers head for the nearest comfy hotel to await the sun;

riders will come from all over,

will mount their bikes

and

take to their mission with dedication and focus, praying this is the year

that they run MS out of town

and out of the lives of the millions

who are fighting the fight

to keep this disease at bay.

And Laura will once again fly from Florida to Texas to be there, to follow by car

each stop, to encourage and provide hope

to provide love and care to all who ride

while beaming with pride and a love that fills the world of a daughter and her ongoing devotion to find a cure for a disease that has entered the life of a  Mother
and my deares friend,

my family of choice.

We want the cure NOW.

MS run, cos we are hot on your trail!

The mission, the vision is clear.

The riders will face wind gusts, rain, sun

and

they will not falter, they will not fail,

they are determined

and

they are fierce.

Some will be differerntly abled,

some will feel they cannot go on,

but

they will.

Others will cry along the way,

many will wish they had just sent money,

but all will ride like there is no tomorrow

and test their limits as they may have been never tested before.

There will be a joining of people who may have never met before,

but will come together for something greater than each person there.

They will come together to rid this disease

and to enhance each others belief in the power of people and the ability to rise above everything

with hope.

Go Shauna and Dixie
we will be thinking of you,
I will even take your leg cramps and your butt cramps!
My heart is with you
and
all the riders out there in the land
of Texas!
I pray you great weather,
I pray you strength
and
YES
MS RUN COS WE ARE ON YOU.

Mission

We mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS.

Company Overview

The National MS Society is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn't.

We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50-state network of chapters. The Society helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.

Description

The BP MS 150 is a two-day fundraising cycling ride organized by the National MS Society: Lone Star. This ride is the largest event of its kind in North America. In 2009, the event raised more than $17 million for multiple sclerosis.

The ride is a 180-mile journey for MS from Houston to Austin. Breakpoints are positioned every 8-15 miles. The ride begins Saturday morning at three convenient... starting points: Omni Westside Hotel in Houston, Rhodes Stadium in Katy and Waller Stadium in Waller. Riders follow scenic roads into Bellville for lunch. Day One ends at the Fayette County Fairgrounds overnight in La Grange.

On Sunday morning Club 300 members lead the mass on one of two routes that lead to Bastrop Intermediate School for lunch from the fairgrounds. Take the Bechtel Challenge Route and enjoy the rolling terrain of Bastrop and Buescher State Parks or bypass the parks via the Pfizer Lunch Express Route. The final leg of Day Two takes riders into Austin for exciting Finish Line festivities at the capital.

The exhaustion, the tears, the absolute enormity of emotions is enough to take ones breath away.

As is this disease.

Many may give up when diagnosed, many will look for easy outs,

many have claimed to have something they do not, have feigned symptoms when they could do more, could work, could volunteer,

but others

have decided they will not be defined by their diagnosis, their symptoms, their disease.

they have refused to be diminished by any disease,

by any diagnosis,

they will never become what they are labelled nor will they quit.

Many of the millions who are diagnosed also participate in the many events held by the MS foundations,

even ride in this event.

Many more find ways to contribute,

by bake sales, yard sales,

by being in it to win it.

They do not quit, nor give in.

They refuse to give room in their heads to what others think they should do or not do,

how they should respond or not respond

and

they are the ones that survive and thrive.

They are warriors of a special breed

and

they are the ones who ache

but yet seldom complain

they are the ones who if they cannot ride,

they get in a car and drive or are driven to each stop

and then provide drinks and nourishment and encouragement to the riders!

They are at the finish line to celebrate wildly while thanking them

for taking the ride for the team

and they know that a cure is in sight thanks to those that serve to see it happen.

Did you know that MS affects 400,000 + people in the USA, and about 2.5 million people world-wide?

Those folks have an interesting array of symptoms...

Things like not being able to stand the heat...

Warrior Laura out there in the heat washing cars, planting butterfly plants, coming to me when I am not well and mowing my yard or insisting on sharing the butterfly plants against my saying no no no!)

Then of course there is the mind boggling

Fatigue, numbness, walking, balances and coordination problems; dizziness, vertigo, optic neuritis (Laura had that last year and OMG... that was scary).

Yet

She had no time to complain or whine,

she was too busy living life, working full time, plus a part-time job, too busy doing some volunteer good deeds and of letting folks know about this upcoming ride

and trying to make plans of an upcoming bake sale/car wash for MS

where she will bust suds harder than the rest of us...

Yes, Whoopi Goldberg once said,

"We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark."

Laura is certainly a bright light in a world that needs to shine more

and whine less.

So I am wishing Shauna and Dixie out there in Texas

smooth riding, along with all who are riding.

I am hoping they raise more money than any year before

and

that THIS IS THE YEAR

WE FIND THE CURE!

Here in Florida once again

we are even more blessed

as

Laura's brother works at Home Depot and they are matching any contributions that come in... cash donations, check form made to the order of Laura Roorda

Isn't that wonderful?

So: If you can help I'm asking today...
$1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10,$20,$30, $20,000.... whatever and however you can help.... Remember me saying there is NO shame in asking for what ya need? Well, I'm askin now...

If you can help,

let me know

and I will send you Laura's email

she can mail you her address

and

we can go from there once she returns from Texas.

Please hold them up out there

for a magnificent ride this year.

Last I heard she is picking up some special

"butt cream" for the girls

as their behinds get a bit sore

from all that riding on those little itty bitty seats on those bikes

over such a long haul.

Ah but imagine hitting that finish line!

Bet they just cant wait for that butt butter!

I even had to laugh at that,

but

they are some fierce young women and men

and ride they will.

Safe journey dear friend to tExAx

I'll join you in spirit,

I'll hold you up in prayer.

WE MUST CURE THIS DISEASE NOW

...

wALK in Beauty

or in this case...

RIDE FOR THE CURE

DRSES

www.sherryeshowalter.com