Pre and Post MS Accomplishments

Some things I'm proud of accomplishing before being diagnosed with MS:

• Falling in love with my future wife.
• Graduating university with a commerce degree
• Being promoted to management
• Replacing the engine in a 1977 Mustang. I've included a picture of that one.

Some things I'm proud of accomplishing after getting diagnosed with MS:

• Getting married
• Having two beautiful children (my wife gets more credit for that, of course)
• Buying a house
• Running two marathons, one with a decent time, the other not so much
• Completing three sprint distance triathlons and one olympic distance
  
• Running multiple shorter-distance runs
• Choosing a job for fit rather than security
• Coaching friends on my approach to MS and lecturing on work-life balance
  
• Participating in the MS Bike Tour nine consecutive years
• Biking from Jasper to Lake Louise through two mountain ranges
• Getting a ChangeThis manifesto published

I've now spent more of my adult life with MS than without. I guess that explains some of the imbalance in the lists. My point, however, is that I can still do lots of cool stuff, even with a little extra baggage.

Now, here's a partial wish list. I think I can still do all of them, even if I get a little slower or less mobile.

• Take my kids to Disney
• Learn to play piano
• Take my wife to Mexico
• Make an unselfish mark on this earth
• Build a deck in our backyard
• Do a 200km plus canoe trip north of La Ronge

If it isn't obvious, I like lists.