Friends,

Activator Poles Demo last Friday

Dr Joy Cochran from Joy Explorations visited last week demonstrating Activator Poles.  This was awesome for the people who can still stand and use the poles.  Nice photo bomb Nancy!

It was disheartening for people who can no longer walk with poles.  That’s why we need to keep learning more about MS, supporting research and sharing our journey.  My heart goes out to all who can no longer do what they used to.  We’re not giving up and I know you are not either.  Let’s keep working hard and sharing what we learn when people do make progress.  We’ll continue to pull strength, inspiration and motivation from each other as we do our best to beat this thing.

Some weren’t able to make it in last week and asked for Joy’s contact info.  Joy said she’s happy to meet with you at another event or place.  She also said she’s looking forward to coming back again.  Here’s Joy’s contact info, feel free to contact her:

Dr. Joy A Cochran PT, DPT, CEEAA
Founder and Owner JOY Explorations
Master Trainer Urban Poling
Credentialed Balance and Falls Professional
Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adult
Certified PWR! Moves and LSVT BIG for Parkinson’s
Affiliate Oofos recovery shoes

JOYexplorations.com
307.631.3414
E-mail:  joyexplorations@gmail.com

MS Bike Ride – Bike MS August 6th and 7th – Less than one week away!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to all who will be riding with us and volunteering.  THANK YOU!  Another huge THANK YOU goes out to all who have made a donation to the National MS Society supporting any of us that are riding on any team…THANK YOU!  We really appreciate your support and we need your support.  So far, our Peppy Pedaler’s team has raised $49,295.00 for the National MS Society.  Amazing!  Again, THANK YOU to all who have donated!

If you can’t ride, please join us anyway.  The ride starts at WCTC in Pewaukee this year and ends back at WCTC which is local to most of us.  Since it is local, let’s get as many people with MS and their families at the celebration tent Saturday night so you can experience for yourself what our Wisconsin Chapter of the National MS Society along with all the riders and volunteers are doing for us living with MS.  It’s pretty amazing!  So many people are working so hard for us.

I asked Rob Multerer, our Wisconsin chapter President of the National MS Society if people with MS who can’t ride could come to the celebration tent on Saturday evening @ 5:30 at WCTC in Pewaukee.  He said “absolutely” and asked me to encourage people to come even if they’re not riding.  The Saturday evening celebration is the heart of event.  I hope you will join us!

We all know of Wendy Machi’s challenges of living with MS as she recently spent 3-1/2 years in a wheel chair needing help being transferred to bed, the toilet, in a car, etc.  We also know that she’s back to walking again, driving again, not fighting the spasticity and pain she was living with daily, etc.  She had a beautiful smile all the way through this journey and she’s smiling even bigger and brighter now.

Wendy’s inspirational story of living with MS and all she’s been through to get to where she is today will be shared Saturday night at the celebration.  I hope you’ll join us to hear Wendy’s story.

Are you ready to ride?  This is going to be a fun ride with fun rest areas and inspirational stories of progress being made at the celebration Saturday night.

Many of us met at this ride many years ago.  If it wouldn’t be for events like this through the National MS Society, many of us wouldn’t even know each other.  The National MS Society puts on amazing events like this and raises money to fund much needed research and programs for people with MS.  That’s us…whether we want MS or not.  Let’s do our part and support this ride by riding with us, volunteering or making a donation.

We need more research so we have more protocols to put into action with our MS-Just Keep Moving family and everyone else that has MS.  These emerging therapies and protocols are developed as a result of research funded by the National MS Society.  We get to benefit from them when we put them into action.

Here’s a link to our Peppy Pedalers Team page   You can sign up on our Peppy Pedaler’s team from this link.

Here’s a link to my personal page in case you’d like to read my story and would be willing to make a donation supporting me on this ride.  Dan’s personal page

A call for volunteers at the MS Bike Ride
Our Peppy Pedaler’s Team will be hosting a rest area each day of the MS Bike Ride.  We need some volunteers to help at these rest areas.  If you’d be willing to help, we have a sign up sheet at the gym.  Please consider signing up, having some fun and helping us at the rest area.  Let’s give the riders a great experience at our Peppy Pedaler’s Team rest areas.

Here’s a message from Chris Wegner about the rest areas:

We got the info on where our stops will be for the MS Bike Ride.

Saturday #9
Dickten Park
N44W32785 Rasmus Rd
Nashotah
8:45 – 5:00
Folks can sign up to serve the full day or 1/2 day – 8:45 – noon, Noon – 5:00

Sunday #5
Wales Community Park
500 S Brandybrook Rd
Wales
7:00 – 4:00
Again, can serve full day or 1/2 – 7 – noon, Noon – 4

Both days lunch will be provided by the Society.  The other needs are listed on the sign-up sheet at the gym and I’ve attached them to this email as well.

Paula Weikert is heading up Saturday and Brian & I will join her on Sunday.

Blessings,
Chris

Volunteers are appreciated at our gym
Thank you to all the volunteers who are stepping up while we’re a little light on volunteers this summer.  I really appreciate it and I know all our friends with MS appreciate it as well.  Thanks also to all our friends with MS who are helping each other.  It’s a beautiful thing to see this happening.  I wish the rest of the world would be more like the people that come to our gym.  The world would certainly be a much better place.

Let’s get together!
We’ll be getting together again from 9:00am – noon on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the gym.  I hope you’ll join us!

Wisconsin Metal Parts – Westmound Building
W228N791 Westmound Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186

 Prayer Group  We’ll be having our prayer group Wednesday @ 11:00am.
I just love the way we share, pray and laugh together while we witness prayers being answered weekly.  It’s truly amazing!

Thanks goes to God and to everyone that joins us.  Let’s get together to share, listen, talk, give thanks and pray however God leads us.

MS Just Keep Caring – Our Caregivers support group will be the first and third Friday of each month from 10:00 – 10:30am.  The next one will be this Friday, August 5th .  If you’re a caregiver of someone you love with MS, please join us and share your experience of caring for your loved one.  This has been very helpful for many.  Thanks to all who participate!

Friday Morning Bike Rides
Let’s ride as long as it’s not raining.  We’ll be meeting Friday morning at 7:00am at Nettesheim Park in Pewaukee.  It’s on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street.  The GPS address is:  N26W27495 Prospect Ave, Pewaukee, WI 53072.  Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00 as possible.  We’ll ride until about 8:45.  Let’s ride and have some fun!

Jason found his way into a ditch last Friday and needed a little help from some friends who were happy to help.  You’re in good hands Jason!  Way to get back on the trike and continue riding.  You have a big ride this weekend on the MS Bike Ride.

For those of you who wish you could join us but can’t; please know we have you in our hearts on these rides.  We’re riding with you and for you.  I hope you too can join us someday.  We really need to get this MS thing figured out.  Let’s keep working on it together.

 Todd Siewert had a great accomplishment last weekend…again
We all know Todd struggles with walking.  His left leg just doesn’t want to cooperate.

Does that stop Todd…or motivate him?  This past weekend Todd finished his first ½ Ironman distance triathlon.  A ½ Ironman distance triathlon is a 1.4 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride followed by a 13.1 mile run/walk.  Todd swam the swim without difficulty.  He did the 56 mile bike ride on his handcyle and followed it up with the 13.1 mile walk/run in his wheelchair.

Amazing…way to go Todd!  Sometimes we need to be a little creative on how to engage in events like this.  That’s a big day and huge accomplishment!

He sure is lucky to have Diane supporting him every step of the way.  I know, “step” is not the right word to use.  Either way, you finished!  You look tired…that doesn’t bother me a bit 😊

 COVID   There seems to be some COVID going around again lately.  We’ve all been dealing with this long enough and are very well educated on it by now.  Let’s make good choices and be safe.

Please stay home if you have any symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus.  Please don’t come until your symptoms go away.  Let’s also give each other some space when talking to one another and continue wiping the machines down before and after you use them with disinfectant.  Again…let’s be socially responsible and stay safe!

Our Facebook page is private.  That means you’ll need to join if you want access to all our fun and progress.  Lots of people are doing more and more and sharing of their journey on Facebook.  Feel free to join and share your experience and comments.  We’re now up to 237 members…awesome!   https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709

Thai Massage with Ricky Heldt  Ricky will be here Wednesday and Friday again this week doing Thai Massage.  Ricky says he is comfortable to work with you even if you’re not wearing a mask.  Ricky will continue to wear one to protect you.

Many continue making great progress with chronic pain relief, range of motion, walking better and a new sense of hope when Ricky works with them.  Please keep in mind that consistency is key.  Not only with Ricky…with exercise too.  We need consistency to realize the benefits long term.  We want you to have long term relief.

Ricky has a sign up sheet based on first come first serve.  You can pick the time slot that works for you.  I highly encourage you to take advantage of Ricky’s Thai Massages each day and sign up for your time slot as soon as you get there.

Reiki with Linda  Linda will be here on Fridays doing Reiki.  Many people say Linda’s Reiki work is “magical”.  We’re thankful for Linda offering her gifts and talents to us.  Feel free to let Linda know you’d like to do Reiki with her.  She also has a sign up sheet.

Inspirational Humor with Adam Wollert
We’ll be having our inspirational humor zoom call with Adam again next Tuesday.  Adam is a gift to all of us.

Please join us if you can.
Tuesdays @ 1:30PM
Here’s the link to join us…I hope you do!
Join Zoom Meeting with this link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9431389152?pwd=bWlYbFNaazVnM1M1cWxWMitlODdXUT09

Meeting ID: 943 138 9152
Passcode: 3qP2hu
Phone:   1-312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 943 138 9152

Let’s reach out
I encourage you to share a smile and encouragement with someone.  Perhaps you could call someone that you haven’t talked with for a while just to say hi and see how they’re doing.  We all could use a little extra love and encouragement.

MS is tough.  Let’s have faith, remain calm, be flexible, help each other and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day as we make good choices.

Let’s keep moving and smiling 😊

In God We Trust…we’re in good hands
Dan

http://msjustkeepmoving.org/

P.S. Since so many of us are riding the MS Bike ride this weekend, I decided to take a couple pictures along the route ahead of time.  I took this one by St Anthony’s in Pewaukee on my ride this morning.

Yesterday, I went near the first rest area by Retzger Nature Center with Cal and a friend.  We enjoyed the beauty of the sunflowers.  I hope you’ll see them on Saturday along the route.  You might want to stop for a picture.

It’s interesting to look at sunflowers from different perspectives

Even beautiful sunflowers can endure some life’s challenges

Let’s keep moving and smiling!

Oh…one more.  As I was writing this e-mail tonight, I looked out my window and saw a beautiful sunset.  I decided to go out and take a picture of it so I could share it with you.  Enjoy!