Rounding Up Awareness Opportunities
JIM E
ight years ago, Jim Riley was playing softball when he realized something wasn’t right. He began feeling weak, and his coach pointed out that he wasn’t following through completely on swings. Following the game, he felt so stiff and overheated that he just curled up in a ball. After a year of fatigue, weakness and muscle stiffness, Jim finally received his diagnosis: he had MS. Jim describes the time that followed as “hitting rock bottom,” as his MS progressed. He had to leave his job and sell his house, but through the help of his support group, friends and medical care, Jim was able to manage his symptoms and improve. That’s when Jim decided he needed to do something to stay active. He decided to borrow on an idea from his youth, when he showed cattle as a hobby. He knew that other nonprofits in his community did cattle shows as a way to raise awareness. Jim recalls, “I said, ‘One day, I’m going to do one.’ And a friend of mine said, ‘Why one day? Why not now?’” In just five months, Jim and his friends organized the first Riley Roundup for MS, a DIY Event with the
National MS Society. It took place in December of 2012 at Loy Lake Park in Denison, TX and raised $8,500 for MS research. Since then, Jim has decided to hold the event every year, and hopes to one day grow it to be a two-day event. He plans to introduce new aspects like live music, food and a bigger silent auction, all to bring awareness to the MS movement. Despite the hard work, and the fatigue he still deals with, Jim said, “Will I do it again next year? Yes, of course. And I’ll work just as hard at it because it’s something close to me.”
A-ha!
Do you have a unique idea that can improve the lives of people living with MS? MSEntrepreneurs is a grant program that can provide you with funding to bring this vision to life. Visit MSentrepreneurs.org to learn more and complete your application by April 15, 2014.
16
MSConnection • SPRING 2014