KARA GOODIER
My Story:
It’s been eight years since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (in February 2014), but I’ve been living with symptoms for twelve years. Twelve years!! Which sounds like a long time to me, but in the grand scheme of “the rest of my life,” it’s just a small snapshot. And that’s the reality of it: my body and I are in this together for life.
I consider myself lucky to have been diagnosed so early in the progression of my MS, but that hasn’t made it easy. For the first four years, I was on medications that didn’t work for my MS. I had big symptom flare-ups that put me on IV steroids frequently, and I struggled to feel at home in my own body.
For the past three years, I’ve been able to stay on an oral medication (goodbye, shots!) and have been biking with WrestlingMS, a group of other MS fighters and allies. With their support and encouragement, I’ve been able to bike consistently and keep my body active, an important step in preventing MS progression.
It’s also helped connect me to an incredible community of bikers and MS warriors who inspire me on a daily basis.
The past coupleyears have brought its own challenges with the pandemic, and I been so excited to have a good reason to leave my house — I’m biking with my friends in October in the WrestlingMS Bike ride to raise money for this organization that has been so supportive of me and others like me!
Please consider donating what you can–a few dollars, a good thought or well-wish–to support me on my journey, and to support the incredible group that has made this possible. Your donation will help other MS fighters like me get the awesome opportunity to earn a bike package and start riding against MS.