It is often difficult to learn of new research in multiple sclerosis. The veil of secrecy seems to be draped over new drug trials and until a new treatment is through phase III trials, we don’t hear much about it. There is some valid reasoning behind this like not promoting false hope or disseminating inaccurate and unproven information. However I believe there is also a lack in the sharing of information not only between researchers but with neurologists and other medical establishments. I guess researchers want to keep the glory for themselves if there happens to be a breakthrough in something.
I believe Canada is well renowned for our work in MS research and advancements but I recently learned of an ensuing lack of researchers in MS due to fewer young scientists willing to focus their career on MS and the nearing retirement of many researchers. Fortunately this has been recognized and a new campaign designed to recruit and train a new generation of researchers has been established named endMS.ca. The MS Society of Canada plays a critical role in this kind of foresight and proactive work.
The MS Society also just recently announced over $9 million in funding grants and research scholarships. One study to gain funding is focused on the injection of adult stem cells into mice that have exhibited demyelination and MS characteristics in an effort to show repair of damaged myelin. While I commend the MS Society and the researchers who are beginning to investigate stem cells and MS, I believe it is something that should have been high on our research priorities years ago. Fortunately East Asian countries have been researching for years and stem cell science is driving the biotech boom. In Singapore the government built “Biopolous” is home to some of the largest biotech companies and this hi-tech hub is attracting scientists from around the world. The Chinese government expects biotechnology to generate 60% of economic growth by 2020.
Ever since I became aware of the possibilities of stem cell treatments in the mid to late nineties thanks mostly to the exposure created by Michael J. Fox, I have felt the answer to MS and many other diseases would be found in stem cell research. I believe there is great progress being made but more cooperation and collaboration is needed between all research bodies. A good beginning to this cooperation was started in July, 2008 when over 300 of China’s top stem cell biologists and researchers from around the globe shared their latest results and held China’s first ever symposium on advanced induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research during the first annual Stem Cell Technology Forum at the China Medical City complex in Taizhou, China. Some of the world’s most respected researchers presented their latest laboratory findings and clinical trial results in using stem cells to treat common ailments like heart disease and nervous system diseases such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, and optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH). Biologists attending the forum came from leading research centers in nearly all of China’s major cities, and as far away as the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and Malaysia. The event was hosted by Beike Biotechnology which is the company responsible for my treatment in China.
There are already many successful medical treatments attributed to stem cell transplants and with continued collaboration between the world’s best scientists, I believe many cures are coming soon!
LC
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Fringe Benefits
I began my fundraising campaign to obviously raise money to fund my trip to China and I am very pleased with how that is going. However along the way I have received many other unexpected blessings. It really has been amazing the amount of people I have come in contact with again. Some friends that I've lost touch with for between 10 and 25 years have suddenly turned back up in my life. With some of these friendships it seems we haven't missed a beat regardless of the amount of time that has passed. I've had the most enjoyable conversations and busted a gut laughing over some of the silly stories that I've had a chance to reminisce about. Reflecting back to my childhood years and young adult life has made me realize how blessed I have been.
Another benefit outside of all the money raised is the outpouring of love, generosity and acts of kindness that I have witnessed over the last several months. It really is heartwarming to have received so much encouragement and support not only from family and friends but from complete strangers. My faith in the human spirit has been rejuvenated! This world we live in can appear pretty ugly sometimes. The news is filled with stories of death, war, crime and an endless myriad of evil acts and events. If one were to interpret life based on the news our existence would seem very depressing.
Fortunately most of us don’t view life based on what we've seen reported in the news. Happiness and joy are all around us, we just have to learn how to recognize it and even more vital, how to display it. My experiences relating to my cause thus far have been very uplifting and inspirational. For this I owe thanks to everyone who has touched my life with such kindness and generosity. More importantly than all, I give thanks and praise to God!
LC
Another benefit outside of all the money raised is the outpouring of love, generosity and acts of kindness that I have witnessed over the last several months. It really is heartwarming to have received so much encouragement and support not only from family and friends but from complete strangers. My faith in the human spirit has been rejuvenated! This world we live in can appear pretty ugly sometimes. The news is filled with stories of death, war, crime and an endless myriad of evil acts and events. If one were to interpret life based on the news our existence would seem very depressing.
Fortunately most of us don’t view life based on what we've seen reported in the news. Happiness and joy are all around us, we just have to learn how to recognize it and even more vital, how to display it. My experiences relating to my cause thus far have been very uplifting and inspirational. For this I owe thanks to everyone who has touched my life with such kindness and generosity. More importantly than all, I give thanks and praise to God!
LC
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
FUNDRAISING CAN BE FUN
I held my first fund-raising event on Friday, July 25th at the Old Mill pub in Strathmore. It was made up of the band Foolish Heart playing the music, a silent auction and many very generous and kind people having fun. I must admit I was a little nervous having never done anything like this before and having difficulty getting items donated for the auction. Everything came together the day before the event with some last-minute donations of some great items. I was able to raise $7,800 which far surpassed anything I could've expected.
I would like to thank everyone who donated items for the auction, William and Tricia Hebert of the Old Mill Pub and everyone who came out to the event. It was really great to feel so much support and encouragement and to raise that much money just blew me away. The evening gave a much-needed boost to my fundraising bringing my total to around $24,000!
I'm now beginning to plan my next fund-raising event which will be held in Calgary towards the end of August. It will be a very similar event with another silent auction. Stay tuned for details…
I would like to thank everyone who donated items for the auction, William and Tricia Hebert of the Old Mill Pub and everyone who came out to the event. It was really great to feel so much support and encouragement and to raise that much money just blew me away. The evening gave a much-needed boost to my fundraising bringing my total to around $24,000!
I'm now beginning to plan my next fund-raising event which will be held in Calgary towards the end of August. It will be a very similar event with another silent auction. Stay tuned for details…
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Multiple Sclerosis - The Invisible disease
The title of my blog is My MS yet I haven't written anything regarding MS. Today I'll write about some of the symptoms that I experience and although it is not an exhaustive list by any means, I'm sure they are shared by many with the disease. Multiple sclerosis is often referred to as the invisible disease. Many of the symptoms are not outwardly visible but that doesn't make them any less real. My walking disability is an obvious indicator of the disease but one of the easiest to cope with. I use my scooter to compensate for my legs and the general public is typically very helpful with tasks like opening a door or helping me carry something. It's the less visible problems that are troublesome.
Cognitive difficulties are common in MS and like the disease itself, may affect everyone differently. I always considered myself very capable of multitasking and focusing on several complex problems or situations simultaneously. That is no longer the case. I have difficulty concentrating with any outside distractions and lose my focus very easily. My short-term memory fails me often with simple things like remembering the score of a hockey game or what happened in a movie I just watched. These problems might be viewed as very common but they are not characteristic of me at all and represent a drastic change in my thought processes and are the source of much frustration.
Fatigue is another very common problem and can be very deceiving. I look very young for my age and I work out to keep my strength up leading to comments like “I know you have MS, but you look so good” without any understanding of how I really feel. Most people understand fatigue as a general feeling of tiredness or weariness but people with MS experience a different type of fatigue because of the way nerve signals travel through the body. The nervous system uses energy to send messages to and from the brain called nerve impulses. In MS these impulses become interrupted or blocked completely and thus the brain compensates by sending out stronger impulses that take increasing amounts of energy. As someone with MS uses their muscles, brain etc., more and more energy is required and eventually the energy sources are reduced or completely burned out. When I fail to recognize that I'm overdoing it I experience much more than an increased feeling of tiredness or weariness, my muscles simply just stop working. I run into that proverbial wall and shut down which can mean various things. Perhaps I can’t lift my leg to go up a stair, or my eyes become very sore and my vision blurred, or if I try to use a fatigued muscle to stand or walk down a stair my leg will begin to go into uncontrollable spasms. At least I have some control over this problem; if I manage my day and rest properly I can keep myself out of trouble.
People often ask me if I'm in pain. The answer is no, I don't live with pain everyday but this is not to say that I don't experience pain. Neurological pain is the most common type of pain that I go through. This type of pain is a mystery and usually short lived. For example, if I reach above my head to take my shirt off I sometimes feel a sharp piercing sting that starts in my shoulder and travels down my arm like a bolt of lightning exiting through my fingertip. Sometimes I feel like something in my ankle has been crushed and hurts so bad that I can't put any weight on it. There is no apparent reason for this, it doesn't stem from a previous injury and I haven’t twisted or hit my ankle. This is what I refer to as neurological pain because there is no visible injury. Fortunately this type of pain comes and goes and is not constant.
The inability to control my bladder is a huge frustration. When I have to go I'm not provided much warning or control to hold it back, it usually comes with a real sense of urgency. On the flip side sometimes I have to go and I can't. I usually have to get up to go to the bathroom two or three times a night but sometimes I am unable to force a constant stream even though I really need to relieve myself. I don't know what it's like for a female but when a guy cuts off the flow midstream it produces a very unpleasant feeling. I sometimes have to sit on the toilet for five to 10 minutes before I can finally relax my muscles enough to let it go. I guess I just identified another source of pain. Because I can't fully empty my bladder, relief is not long lived. Again I have some control over this problem, I can make sure I'm on my scooter, located close to a washroom and control the volume of fluids that I intake.
A lot of my mobility problems are associated with my lack of balance and spasticity in my leg muscles. Spasticity causes my leg muscles to tighten up resulting in me walking completely straight legged as if my legs were 2” x 4”s and so there is no cushion for my knees. This eventually causes a great deal of pain in my knees which then works its way to my back. This is what happens when I’m awake; when I'm asleep it's a different story. When I wake up my natural instinct is to have a big stretch. I have to do this very carefully after my leg muscles have been tensed up and spastic all-night or I face very painful muscle spasms. I don't get the typical relief that comes with a big morning stretch as I have to do it in such a controlled manner.
Then there are the annoying symptoms that I simply just have to learn to live with. This again is a neurological sensation problem that comes and goes at will. Can you imagine how annoying it would be to have cell phones implanted in your legs and hips that are set on vibrate and going on and off all day? I live with this problem everyday and again it comes and goes as it pleases but I can't recall one day in the past year that I haven't had this unpleasant sensation.
As I said in the beginning, this is by no means an exhaustive list, just some of the things I have to live with everyday. I'm sure that anyone else living with MS whose disease has progressed like mine must live under very similar circumstances. I have just had to adapt my life in order to live with this disease. Many of the conditions I've described can be thought of as very embarrassing and difficult to talk about. It's been very difficult to admit to myself that I have some of these problems let alone complete strangers. However I can't be embarrassed that I have multiple sclerosis and hence can't be embarrassed by the effects the disease has on me. On the contrary I think it's good to discuss these problems and increase people's knowledge of MS and how the disease affects people's lives. Even though I have much to endure, I never complain. No one wants to hear someone complain all day and it wouldn’t improve the situation anyway. Complaining just promotes negative feelings which then cause more damage. It just is what it is and I have to learn to deal with it. It helps to understand that things could always be worse so I don't dwell on the bad stuff. I'm very happy with where I'm at in my walk with the Lord and I gain a lot of strength from my faith. I really do feel blessed in so many areas of my life. One should never discount or forget the blessings that I'm sure each and every one of us has in our lives.
We all have a choice, choose to live happy!
LC
Cognitive difficulties are common in MS and like the disease itself, may affect everyone differently. I always considered myself very capable of multitasking and focusing on several complex problems or situations simultaneously. That is no longer the case. I have difficulty concentrating with any outside distractions and lose my focus very easily. My short-term memory fails me often with simple things like remembering the score of a hockey game or what happened in a movie I just watched. These problems might be viewed as very common but they are not characteristic of me at all and represent a drastic change in my thought processes and are the source of much frustration.
Fatigue is another very common problem and can be very deceiving. I look very young for my age and I work out to keep my strength up leading to comments like “I know you have MS, but you look so good” without any understanding of how I really feel. Most people understand fatigue as a general feeling of tiredness or weariness but people with MS experience a different type of fatigue because of the way nerve signals travel through the body. The nervous system uses energy to send messages to and from the brain called nerve impulses. In MS these impulses become interrupted or blocked completely and thus the brain compensates by sending out stronger impulses that take increasing amounts of energy. As someone with MS uses their muscles, brain etc., more and more energy is required and eventually the energy sources are reduced or completely burned out. When I fail to recognize that I'm overdoing it I experience much more than an increased feeling of tiredness or weariness, my muscles simply just stop working. I run into that proverbial wall and shut down which can mean various things. Perhaps I can’t lift my leg to go up a stair, or my eyes become very sore and my vision blurred, or if I try to use a fatigued muscle to stand or walk down a stair my leg will begin to go into uncontrollable spasms. At least I have some control over this problem; if I manage my day and rest properly I can keep myself out of trouble.
People often ask me if I'm in pain. The answer is no, I don't live with pain everyday but this is not to say that I don't experience pain. Neurological pain is the most common type of pain that I go through. This type of pain is a mystery and usually short lived. For example, if I reach above my head to take my shirt off I sometimes feel a sharp piercing sting that starts in my shoulder and travels down my arm like a bolt of lightning exiting through my fingertip. Sometimes I feel like something in my ankle has been crushed and hurts so bad that I can't put any weight on it. There is no apparent reason for this, it doesn't stem from a previous injury and I haven’t twisted or hit my ankle. This is what I refer to as neurological pain because there is no visible injury. Fortunately this type of pain comes and goes and is not constant.
The inability to control my bladder is a huge frustration. When I have to go I'm not provided much warning or control to hold it back, it usually comes with a real sense of urgency. On the flip side sometimes I have to go and I can't. I usually have to get up to go to the bathroom two or three times a night but sometimes I am unable to force a constant stream even though I really need to relieve myself. I don't know what it's like for a female but when a guy cuts off the flow midstream it produces a very unpleasant feeling. I sometimes have to sit on the toilet for five to 10 minutes before I can finally relax my muscles enough to let it go. I guess I just identified another source of pain. Because I can't fully empty my bladder, relief is not long lived. Again I have some control over this problem, I can make sure I'm on my scooter, located close to a washroom and control the volume of fluids that I intake.
A lot of my mobility problems are associated with my lack of balance and spasticity in my leg muscles. Spasticity causes my leg muscles to tighten up resulting in me walking completely straight legged as if my legs were 2” x 4”s and so there is no cushion for my knees. This eventually causes a great deal of pain in my knees which then works its way to my back. This is what happens when I’m awake; when I'm asleep it's a different story. When I wake up my natural instinct is to have a big stretch. I have to do this very carefully after my leg muscles have been tensed up and spastic all-night or I face very painful muscle spasms. I don't get the typical relief that comes with a big morning stretch as I have to do it in such a controlled manner.
Then there are the annoying symptoms that I simply just have to learn to live with. This again is a neurological sensation problem that comes and goes at will. Can you imagine how annoying it would be to have cell phones implanted in your legs and hips that are set on vibrate and going on and off all day? I live with this problem everyday and again it comes and goes as it pleases but I can't recall one day in the past year that I haven't had this unpleasant sensation.
As I said in the beginning, this is by no means an exhaustive list, just some of the things I have to live with everyday. I'm sure that anyone else living with MS whose disease has progressed like mine must live under very similar circumstances. I have just had to adapt my life in order to live with this disease. Many of the conditions I've described can be thought of as very embarrassing and difficult to talk about. It's been very difficult to admit to myself that I have some of these problems let alone complete strangers. However I can't be embarrassed that I have multiple sclerosis and hence can't be embarrassed by the effects the disease has on me. On the contrary I think it's good to discuss these problems and increase people's knowledge of MS and how the disease affects people's lives. Even though I have much to endure, I never complain. No one wants to hear someone complain all day and it wouldn’t improve the situation anyway. Complaining just promotes negative feelings which then cause more damage. It just is what it is and I have to learn to deal with it. It helps to understand that things could always be worse so I don't dwell on the bad stuff. I'm very happy with where I'm at in my walk with the Lord and I gain a lot of strength from my faith. I really do feel blessed in so many areas of my life. One should never discount or forget the blessings that I'm sure each and every one of us has in our lives.
We all have a choice, choose to live happy!
LC
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
So much for the news...
Appearing in the news wasn't quite what I'd hoped for, in fact quite the opposite. I first approached Global TV to explain my story and introduce my website in hopes that they might run a story. Michelle Schurman replied to my e-mail indicating that she would love to talk to me about this… perhaps shoot a story and get the word out about my fundraising campaign. Well that strategy backfired thanks to Michelle Schurman. She did end up running a story however it did absolutely nothing to gain exposure for my fundraising campaign and as a matter of fact ended up creating more harm than good.
My website and fundraising campaign were nonexistent and at the same time she managed to paint a pretty negative picture of stem cell transplants and what they are doing in China. I now find it necessary to refute some of the claims made in the newscast. To begin with I’d like to know where she got her information regarding patients returning from China with major infections like meningitis. I belong to a Yahoo chat group focused solely on China stem cells and from hundreds of experiences I have not heard of one case of infection. I would suggest that a patient is more likely to come down with an infection from a Canadian hospital.
As documented in a CBC news report from May 31, 2007, every year 250,000 Canadians pick up infections while in hospitals being treated for something else. That's a staggering one out of every nine Canadians who are admitted to hospital. Every year those infections kill more than 8000 people. Many infections are started by bacteria within the hospital setting which can be found in disinfectants, respiratory equipment, food, sinks, taps and mops. It is spread from patient to patient on the hands of hospital personnel and by direct patient contact with contaminated items.
I have included some photos of the Hangzhou hospital where I will be admitted. It is a jewel of a hospital and well renowned for its exceptional quality of care. China is a country of more than 1,300,000,000 people; do you think they have a staffing problem for custodial duties or any other position for that matter?
The claim that the Chinese have not published in leading medical journals is cause for some skepticism. Let's face it, the Chinese do things differently but because they have not published in western medical journals does not mean that their research or documentation of that research is lacking in any way. In my opinion, we are falling behind the Chinese in many respects. It is expected that North American doctors cannot endorse this type of treatment as it is not proven and we all know how medical insurance and lawsuits influence that. However off the record I have asked doctors about the treatment and been told that in my shoes, why not try?
The claim that a lot of success stories may be chalked up to the placebo effect and that patients want the treatment to work so badly perhaps they could be imagining the effects. That is a very clinical and scientific statement to make, but not very accurate. I don't think two-year-old Tre Burgos from Florida is imagining his doctors tell his mother that his vision has gone from 20/1200 to 20/200. His mother states “it's just really amazing watching him see something for the first time”. There are so many documented success stories that to claim stem cell transplants don't work is obviously inaccurate.
Finally I’d like to clear up a beef with whoever coined the phrase “Stem Cell Tourism” and its implications. To equate traveling halfway around the world to find treatment for someone's debilitating, painful and sometimes life-threatening condition to taking a holiday is very insulting to me. Our journey is one of hope and help; it has nothing to do with taking a vacation.
Though this news story didn't turn out the way I wanted I will continue to try other media sources. Perhaps a different network, talk radio and newspapers; I'll continue to do anything I can to create exposure and spread the word about my cause. Those of you that are out there and reading this can help me too, please continue forwarding my website and spreading the word!
Thank you,
LC
My website and fundraising campaign were nonexistent and at the same time she managed to paint a pretty negative picture of stem cell transplants and what they are doing in China. I now find it necessary to refute some of the claims made in the newscast. To begin with I’d like to know where she got her information regarding patients returning from China with major infections like meningitis. I belong to a Yahoo chat group focused solely on China stem cells and from hundreds of experiences I have not heard of one case of infection. I would suggest that a patient is more likely to come down with an infection from a Canadian hospital.
As documented in a CBC news report from May 31, 2007, every year 250,000 Canadians pick up infections while in hospitals being treated for something else. That's a staggering one out of every nine Canadians who are admitted to hospital. Every year those infections kill more than 8000 people. Many infections are started by bacteria within the hospital setting which can be found in disinfectants, respiratory equipment, food, sinks, taps and mops. It is spread from patient to patient on the hands of hospital personnel and by direct patient contact with contaminated items.
I have included some photos of the Hangzhou hospital where I will be admitted. It is a jewel of a hospital and well renowned for its exceptional quality of care. China is a country of more than 1,300,000,000 people; do you think they have a staffing problem for custodial duties or any other position for that matter?
The claim that the Chinese have not published in leading medical journals is cause for some skepticism. Let's face it, the Chinese do things differently but because they have not published in western medical journals does not mean that their research or documentation of that research is lacking in any way. In my opinion, we are falling behind the Chinese in many respects. It is expected that North American doctors cannot endorse this type of treatment as it is not proven and we all know how medical insurance and lawsuits influence that. However off the record I have asked doctors about the treatment and been told that in my shoes, why not try?
The claim that a lot of success stories may be chalked up to the placebo effect and that patients want the treatment to work so badly perhaps they could be imagining the effects. That is a very clinical and scientific statement to make, but not very accurate. I don't think two-year-old Tre Burgos from Florida is imagining his doctors tell his mother that his vision has gone from 20/1200 to 20/200. His mother states “it's just really amazing watching him see something for the first time”. There are so many documented success stories that to claim stem cell transplants don't work is obviously inaccurate.
Finally I’d like to clear up a beef with whoever coined the phrase “Stem Cell Tourism” and its implications. To equate traveling halfway around the world to find treatment for someone's debilitating, painful and sometimes life-threatening condition to taking a holiday is very insulting to me. Our journey is one of hope and help; it has nothing to do with taking a vacation.
Though this news story didn't turn out the way I wanted I will continue to try other media sources. Perhaps a different network, talk radio and newspapers; I'll continue to do anything I can to create exposure and spread the word about my cause. Those of you that are out there and reading this can help me too, please continue forwarding my website and spreading the word!
Thank you,
LC
Monday, June 9, 2008
In the news
Thank you to all those who donated early. I was able to reach my first milestone of $6,000 within the first two weeks of my campaign allowing me to make my first deposit on May 28 which was right on schedule!
I am now hoping for another flurry of donations resulting from an appearance on Global news. The story will run as a two-part series on Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11 on the five o'clock news and possibly six o'clock. I believe it will also be posted on the Global TV website.
I am now hoping for another flurry of donations resulting from an appearance on Global news. The story will run as a two-part series on Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11 on the five o'clock news and possibly six o'clock. I believe it will also be posted on the Global TV website.
I'm not sure what the viewership for this timeslot is but if it can prompt 2000 people to visit my website and donate $20 each, my mission will be complete! We'll see what happens.
LC
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Art of Giving
The subject of this blog arose from a letter I've been meaning to write to CADS (Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing). It's been on my to do list for quite some time, just something I haven't gotten around to doing. Rather than write a letter to CADS, I’ve decided to write about the issue for my first blog.
Giving comes in many different forms, the most common and convenient form is financial which is the purpose of my website. Not to downplay or overlook the importance of financial giving, but a donation of $20, $50 or even $100 for most of us is inconsequential to our pocketbook. However donating our time is much more difficult given the demands of work and family.
Last year I was introduced to the idea of skiing again which seemed ludicrous to me at the time until someone explained CADS. CADS is a completely volunteer organization that allows people with all kinds of disabilities to ski. I wasn't sure what to expect going to my first lesson but when I arrived I was awestruck by the amount of people involved and the organized chaos that surrounded me. The disabled skiers ranged from spinal cord injuries to young children with cerebral palsy. In many instances there were two volunteers assigned to each skier. Lessons took place on Friday evenings meaning all of these volunteers sacrificed their Friday nights in order to help out with this very noble cause.
Although I spent more of my time learning how to fall than skiing, the experience was phenomenal. It had been close to 10 years since I had participated or even thought of participating in physical sporting activities. Actually being able to ski again brought such a rush of excitement and joy to me. JOY is the best description of the feelings that I encountered and it was written on the faces of all the skiers, especially the children. There are very few experiences outside of my children that have been able to create this type of elation in me. Joy was the reward for all volunteers knowing they had created so much happiness for others who typically would not have the opportunity to experience this type of JOY.
I think this is the art of giving because it is based on feelings of joy rather than obligation, pity, sympathy or the simple need for help. Thank you to all CADS volunteers across the country and to everyone who donates their time with such vigor and love. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!
LC
Giving comes in many different forms, the most common and convenient form is financial which is the purpose of my website. Not to downplay or overlook the importance of financial giving, but a donation of $20, $50 or even $100 for most of us is inconsequential to our pocketbook. However donating our time is much more difficult given the demands of work and family.
Last year I was introduced to the idea of skiing again which seemed ludicrous to me at the time until someone explained CADS. CADS is a completely volunteer organization that allows people with all kinds of disabilities to ski. I wasn't sure what to expect going to my first lesson but when I arrived I was awestruck by the amount of people involved and the organized chaos that surrounded me. The disabled skiers ranged from spinal cord injuries to young children with cerebral palsy. In many instances there were two volunteers assigned to each skier. Lessons took place on Friday evenings meaning all of these volunteers sacrificed their Friday nights in order to help out with this very noble cause.
Although I spent more of my time learning how to fall than skiing, the experience was phenomenal. It had been close to 10 years since I had participated or even thought of participating in physical sporting activities. Actually being able to ski again brought such a rush of excitement and joy to me. JOY is the best description of the feelings that I encountered and it was written on the faces of all the skiers, especially the children. There are very few experiences outside of my children that have been able to create this type of elation in me. Joy was the reward for all volunteers knowing they had created so much happiness for others who typically would not have the opportunity to experience this type of JOY.
I think this is the art of giving because it is based on feelings of joy rather than obligation, pity, sympathy or the simple need for help. Thank you to all CADS volunteers across the country and to everyone who donates their time with such vigor and love. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!
LC
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