As most of you know, I have MS.

Eight years ago, I wrote a post that to me only seems to skim the surface of what this has meant to my life. It was most definitely the awakening of the knowledge that my life was never going to be the same as it was. While I'm usually somewhat vocal about having MS, I don't usually go into details of what that means. It can mean that one day I'll be full of energy, and the next day I'll be dragging on the floor. Today I can be walking perfectly fine, but tomorrow I'll be unable to go 500 feet without a break. It can mean that while I appear to be a perfectly healthy and independent thirtysomething, something lurks beneath that has the potential to incapacitate me, for either short periods or for a lifetime.

In the last several years, MS has taken away the lives of people I care about, whether it's taking away every shred of who they were, or in some cases, they're no longer here at all. More than a year ago, a friend of mine, Lori Stipe-Russell, passed away. She had fought MS tooth and nail for more than 10 years, and had been trying to make improvements to improve the quality of life that she had, when her life was taken away from her. To those of us who have MS, and those who are related to us by friendship or blood, MS is no joke at all.

This last year, my daughter was born. 2/3 of people diagnosed with MS are women, most between the ages of 20 and 40. I want my daughter to grow up without having to experience what any of us with MS have had to go through. We are so close to a cure, it can't be that far away. But it won't happen without donations from people like you.

More than 18 years ago, I had no idea what MS even was. Most people get it confused with Jerry's Kids, or Lou Gherig's Disease, or any one of a number of other diseases... And while it is in most cases unlikely to end someone's life, it IS something that can have devestating effects on the person's life and independence.

I am one of the lucky ones. Yes, I know I have it, which many people are so misdiagnosed as other diseases that they get incorrect and improper treatment for years before it is finally diagnosed. And while yes, I have it, my symptoms have been few and far between since the life-changing semester of my diagnosis. While I am currently relatively symptom-free, this disease has the potential to turn my life upsidown yet again, as it did years ago, to the point where I lost my independance and could hardly even dress myself, let alone get on with the daily aspects of living. But I am one of the lucky ones. While people are slowly becoming aware of what MS is and does through characterizations such as President Bartlett on the West Wing, there are still so many out there who are unaware, and MS has a tendency to strike those in the prime of their lives... The National Multiple Sclerosis Society depends upon donations from people like you to be able to not only spread awareness of this disease, but to help us come closer to a cure!

As some of you may be aware of, Team Wench is going to be participating in the MS Walk on April 22, in Annapolis, Maryland! Team Wench is a group of strong-minded women (and some men!) who both work and play at renaissance festivals, and friends of those who do. Team Wench has been organizing and participating in charity fundraising events for years! This is actually our eighth year in participating in the MS Walk! As in past years, Team Wench also includes several men who know Wenches who are near and dear to their hearts. Several of our local wenches (including myself) have this potentially debilitating disease, and we're determined to stamp it out!

This year marks eighteen years since my diagnosis... And in commemoration of that date, I'd like to raise at least fourteen times what I raised in my first year of walking in the MS Walk! My first year, I rollerbladed the walk through Liberty State Park, and I raised just over $150. This year, eighteen years later, I'd like to raise more than $2700!

As stated in the MD Chapter webpage:
"Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be lifelong. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis."

Every hour someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Please join me in supporting the National MS Society's mission to end the devastating effects of MS. You can support me by making a secure online epledge.

Thank you - together we can make a difference! I want to be able to look at people some day and say "I HAD MS, but not anymore!" I want to know that nobody else will have to go through what it has done to me and so many people I know, or that if it does it won't happen again! I'm fundraising for people like Lori, who died with it, for people like my daughter who I hope will never get it, and for people like me who have it and want to get better and to make sure nobody else ever gets it.

You can donate by credit card on a secure server, directly online!

If you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to join our team, please click here to go to my donations page! Even if you don't live in the area, we have "phantom walkers" who can walk from anywhere in the world, and the fundraising goes directly to the NMSS! If you have any difficulties with the link, there should be one listed at the bottom of this letter.

My thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause, both now and in the past, and thanks in advance to those of you who want to help those who have MS, and help MDRF's Team Wench make this eleventh annual event a good one!!!

This is no joke. And with your support, we can make sure it's something that in the future we can laugh in MS's face.

Thanks for all your support!

Cyd (Top 50 fundraiser, Sole Supporter, Gold Soles walker, and Gold Glider rollerblader since 1994)

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit www.nmss-md.org or call 443-641-1200.

I know, I owe a real post but I really haven't left posts in many places lately, so don't feel left out. I barely have time to read let alone post lately.

Yeah, this is apropos of nothing else other than asking is anyone else getting some really weird reactions from their friends lists? I was looking down my friends page, and everything looked fine when suddenly every single post was from one person, and from way back in 2002 (I shall spare the name).

Is anyone else getting this?

... And happy first new year, little one...

I am amused.

TV channels show up on our guide with color codes for the type of program: red for news, purple for movies, green for sports, blue for regular programming.

Today, for some reason, all of the "Royal Wedding of a Lifetime" shows on Biography channel are in green.

I wonder what they plan on doing there that makes the wedding a sport?

I get this mental image of Kate Middleton grabbing the bouquet like a football and running down the aisle scattering wedding-watchers out of her way as she races to the endzone...

This Sunday, April 3, I will be volunteering in the MS Walk in Annapolis Maryland.

It is for those mothers whose hands cannot hold their children, because their hands have gone numb.

It is for the fathers who cannot play sports with their children, because they have lost the ability to reliably control their legs.

It is for the college students who suddenly cannot see the blackboard, or hear the teacher.

It is for the older man who is afraid to leave his house for fear of losing bowel or bladder control at an inopportune moment.

It is for the young woman who can no longer play on her basketball team because she has no balance.

It is for the musician who cannot play his instrument any more, because of uncontrollable shaking.

It is for the olympian who is now too fatigued to be able to accurately throw a shotput.

It is for the writer who can no longer hold a pen.

It is for the men and women, old or young, even teenagers, whose lives have been turned around permanently by this disease we call MS. Whether their symptoms are few and far between, or on a constant downhill slide, it is for them.

Most importantly to me, it is for several reasons. It is for my friend Lori who died this year with this disease. It is for myself and my friends who still live with this disease.

And most of all, it is for my child, so I never have to see that child go through what I went through, so they will have a mother who can do everything everyone else's mother can do, so I can someday turn to my child and say "I HAD MS, but I don't anymore!" I want my child to be born into a world that is free of MS.

THIS is why we walk. We help others to.

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do. You can donate online using the link below, or send me email and I'll tell you how to mail a check.

Thanks in advance for all that you do!

Thank you,
Cyd Shelby, Crew Captain, Team Wench

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit www.nmss-md.org or call 443-641-1200.

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=1903640&pg=personal&fr_id=15711&s_tafId=180229

Click here to view the team page for Team Wench
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=228707&pg=team&fr_id=15711&s_tafId=180229

Every year, I walk in the MS Walk in Annapolis. This year, as most of you know, I've got a couple of extra reasons to do so, but I won't be walking (in great part due to one of those extra reasons, since I'll be about 7 months along). But I'm the crew chief for the Annapolis rest stop! And we need volunteers to help feed and encourage those walkers along!!!

Many of you were at least familiar with Lori Stipe-Russell, also known to many of us as Allie Sutherland, Wench 2053, and founding Madame for Local 77. Lori passed away on December 23 after having suffered from MS and a host of other medical issues.

I want to set up our rest stop this year in Lori's honor, but I need your help! Right now we have a number of walkers to walk in her honor, but we need volunteers to help with the rest stop! There's no donations required or fees (although extra donations always help!), and all it takes is a few hours of your morning on Sunday, April 3!!! Just a couple of hours can help so much!

You can sign up to be a volunteer by going through my page on the site: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MDMWalkEvents?px=1903640&pg=personal&fr_id=15711

Just click on the link for joining the team, and sign up as an event volunteer!

The last time I saw Lori was at John Broadfoot's wedding, decked out in her hawaiian-print finery... I'd love to see us take that hawaiian print theme and take it to new levels, as a tribute to Lori and a way to help boost the spirits of the walkers coming through!

I want to give Lori one of the biggest and brightest send-offs anyone's seen in a long time... And I can think of no better tribute to her than to help fund and volunteer with the MS Society in her name.

Please sign up as a volunteer, and we can give her a tribute that nobody will ever forget!!!

-Cyd Shelby, Crew Chief, MS Walk 2011

Hey Nea, your "favorite" person is back, and once more trying to pull something that would put women in danger and relegate them to the back seat. If anyone recalls the man who tried to redefine a "rape victim" a few weeks ago (basically, unless someone was convicted, he declared that there is no victim of rape, only "accusers". Yeah, try telling someone that had their house robbed they aren't a victim unless the robber was caught. This is exactly what this man tried to do to rape victims, is define them as "accusers" only. Oh, that's right, he only did it for rape, not any other crimes).

Many women know the pain of going through a miscarriage. Many never know why it happened. Some had them before ever getting to a doctor the first time, so will never know the cause of their miscarriages.

But Georgia Rep. Bobby Franklin introduced a bill last week that would require proof that a miscarriage occurred naturally.

http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/02/21/georgia-legislator-wants-to-investigate-miscarriages-create-uterus-police/

If you cannot produce evidence that it happened naturally, then you could face felony charges for trying to kill your baby.

Most don't ever know why a miscarriage occurred! Doctors don't usually investigate until a second or third occur, because it's such a common occurrence! And what about ectopic pregnancies, where the embryo may still be viable, but to allow it to continue where it is would be to kill both mother and embryo!

A little more information on this: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/17/946257/--GALegislator-Wants-to-Create-The-Uterus-Police-to-Investigate-Miscarriages

Do women not have to go through enough if they lose their babies, that now they want womento be hounded over and over again? Will women then not seek pre-natal care, because if the baby dies, would they be liable for homicide, even if she has done nothing to cause it? If a doctor never knows about it, it is never reported, and therefore a woman cannot be held responsible for it. Will women then stop going to doctors because of their fear of being prosecuted if a problem happens? What does that do for prenatal care? The most likely time for a miscarriage is the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, and it is also the time when any intervention is more likely to *save* pregnancies, but if a woman fears her doctor will turn her in, will she ever go?

Most first miscarriages happen before the doctor sees a woman for the first time at her first pregnancy pre-natal visit (usually around 8 weeks). Would Bobby Franklin throw a woman in the slammer because she had a natural miscarriage where there is normally no proof of viability? Unless you've had prior miscarriages, most women aren't tracked closely, and the roller coaster ride those women are on before it is determined the baby is viable is heart-wrenching. Would they make every woman have to go through this?

This bill, should it become law, could wind up not only emotionally torturing women who are already having a horrible experience and making it worse, but actually killing women who have legitimate medical reasons for terminating a pregnancy (ectopic, cancer, etc). As far as Bobby Franklin is concerned, it doesn't matter what the reason is, doing anything to cause a fetus to not be born is considered homicide by him... Even if the woman has an ectopic pregnancy, or a nonviable fetus that could cause septicemia (otherwise known as a missed miscarriage). It would also force a woman who was carrying a fetus whose chromosomal makeup was incompatible with life to carry all the way to term and give birth to a child doomed to die. Anecephalic babies (no brains, therefore cannot survive without the umbilical cord). Renal agenosis (no kidneys, which means no amniotic fluid, which means the baby's lungs won't develop). And in those cases, if the mother is already suffering from pre-eclampsia (among other things the blood pressure is raised enough to possibly kill her along with shutting down some of her other organs), it could kill her along with the already doomed fetus.

How this man got in office to begin with is beyond me. Even more frustrating is how he deals with his constituents. A friend of mine tried to write him and received this in response: "Due to the unreliability of the General Assembly’s technical support team, it is unlikely that I will receive your email. Please call my office at 404-656-0152." She was livid, as she's already had to go through her own miscarriages in the last few years, but since she lives in Ohio, he wouldn't listen to her over the phone either.

So not only is this man a complete ass, but he basically has decided that if email is sent, he's "not getting it". Why? Because then he doesn't have to defend himself in a written medium that can be held against him later. If he doesn't write his response back, then nobody can hold it against him in a public forum because they don't have proof unless they've the presence of mind to record a phone call with him (if they can get through past his watchdogs on the phone lines), and if you're not a local, he won't take your call.

How this man got into office I'll never know. I know I don't live in GA, but I know a number of friends who do. If this actually makes it into law, it sets prescidence.

I hope this man is railroaded right out of office.

The House voted to bar Planned Parenthood from federal funding. They cut funding for HIV tests, cancer screenings, birth control, and more. People seem to think that Planned Parenthood is only about abortions, but it is SO much more than that!

Can you guys sign the petition to try and get the Senate to stop this???

http://www.istandwithplannedparenthood.org/

If you want a good understanding of exactly what funding to planned parenthood does, you can see it here:

http://open.salon.com/blog/margaret_polaneczky_md/2011/02/17/we_must_keep_title_x_and_planned_parenthood_funding

The lives it saves, and the money that it actually saves, is astronomical. This is cutting off noses to spite faces, and must be stopped!

... And I am incredibly glad that neither I nor my parents live in the house that they lived in for almost 30 years.

See, that driveway on that house is the length of 2 football fields. It's also at an incredibly steep angle.

This driveway in combination with the 17 snowstorms that walloped NJ that year was singlehandedly responsible for my MS diagnosis. I busted my ass so hard on that driveway it drove my MS into the single worst exacerbation it's ever had.

I won't go into what that did to me back then right now. It was almost exactly 17 years ago to the day I was diagnosed. If you haven't seen the story yet, it's here. It's long. And it'll probably make you cry.

Every year, I make a plug about people sponsoring me in the MS Walk. I've walked (or rollerbladed) every year for the last 17.

This year I'm volunteering instead of walking. Why? I have a child to think of. I'm still looking for donations, but this year I have extra incentive, because I don't want my child to ever wind up with MS, or if they do, to know that there is a cure.

This year I'm not just doing this for me. I'm doing this for Lori Stipe, who passed away only a month ago, who was diagnosed with MS just as she was getting out of college. I'm doing it for my child, who isn't even here yet. I'm doing this for every man, woman, and child who has ever had to deal with what can be a frightening and life-altering disease.

Please donate, and help us get rid of this disease once and for all!

If you can't donate but want to volunteer, that same link will take you to my page where you can join my team as well. As in the last few years, this year our team will be split between walkers and volunteers, and we need both!

My first year walking, I made $150 for the MS Society. This year being the 17th year that I've been doing this, I'd like to raise over $2550!!! Please help me make this goal, and help Team Wench make our 11th year a successful one!!!

I want to be able to say I *HAD* MS, but I don't anymore!!!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me in the past, and thank you in advance to those of you who will help us make this year come even closer to a cure!!!