Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Traveling Man

“Up with the sun, gone with the wind.” Like many people who spend their lives traveling, I live and breathe many of Bob Seger’s lyrics. “Out to the road, out ‘neath the stars  Feeling the breeze, passin’ the cars” I just returned from my biggest motorcycle trip so far this year. I rode 8,300 miles. … Read more

Long Haul Paul — A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss (MS Advocate)

21 years ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. At the time, I was a divorced Dad, raising two boys on my own while running a small retail business. I had already sold my motorcycles and had decided my passion for riding and competing in long distance rallies would have to wait until my boys … Read more

Feet Freeze Before Bridges

It was a last minute decision. Every year for the last twenty years, 500 or more hearty motorcyclists converge on the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton Alabama on December 30th for what is called, The Annual Last Ride of the Year. A loosely organized event billed as a ride-to-eat, where folks from all corners of the … Read more

Winter Fixings

My motorcycle riding season is over for the year. I ending the season with a busy October, logging 9,000 miles towards my goal of a million miles for Multiple Sclerosis. I wasn’t just riding circles around my house in New Hampshire, either! I rode to three big motorcycle rallies as well as spoke at an … Read more

Canadian Kindness: Long Haul Paul & MS Bike Auction

In June, I raffled off my 2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 for the MS charity I support. The motorcycle was my 4th since starting my million mile journey for Multiple Sclerosis. Curechaser IV had an amazing 211,000 miles on the odometer and lived a very tough life on the road. The fundraiser raised $15,000 and I … Read more

My Best Friend — Kona

We had to say goodbye to our dog Kona last week. He was almost 14. Kona came to us at the very start of the covid pandemic, a sort of rescue from my daughter-in-law who was struggling with two animals who couldn’t stand each other and fought continuously. Kona was half French Bulldog with Cattle … Read more

Where Are You Going?

It was cold and drizzling hard as my Yamaha approached the international border crossing. There was no line of vehicles in front of me, in fact, I had not seen other vehicle for the last 20 miles. I picked this particular crossing to get back into Maine because I knew it was never busy. Although … Read more

It’s FARKLE Season

In the world of long distance motorcycle riding, we often use the acronym FARKLE. When we get a new motorcycle that we plan to ride for tens of thousands of miles each year, we customize it by adding parts and accessories to help us travel long days comfortably and safely. The first few months of … Read more

Blowing Snow

For the first time since I began writing this bi-monthly column over a decade ago, I have not ridden a motorcycle in the two months since my last story. In fact, it has been three months since I have even started one of my bikes! It’s not that I don’t want to ride, it … Read more

Long Hall Paul – Picturesque Calendar

Changing of the Calendars — Supporting MS Chasing the Cure Winter is upon all of us, but that certainly means different things to different people. To many of us living in the northern states, the transition to Winter means preparing the house and yard for a few months of cold and being ready for the … Read more

New design by Staki provides people with disabilities the joy of skiing

Ms. Eva has been struggling with multiple sclerosis (MS) for nearly thirty years. It primarily affects the mobility in her right leg. Although her diagnosis is overwhelming, she has been trying to devote herself to sports in her spare time just like she used to a long time ago. A special model of downhill skis … Read more

Diagnosed with Astroids

One year from today, an astroid known as The End III will collide with earth and destroy everything on it. FAKE NEWS of course, but let’s pretend for just a moment that it was true.             How would you react? What would you do if you found out your future was not going to be … Read more

Long Haul Paul — Yamaha Revs My Heart and Helps MS

My last column was about looking forward to getting some MotoMedicine as I headed out in December for my final road trip of 2023. I was invited to attend Yamaha’s media event for the newest version of the bike I am currently riding; the Tenere 700. Yamaha was hosting two small groups of journalists over … Read more

A Few More Miles of MOTOMEDICINE

After a busy summer of traveling weeks at a time, I was enjoying spending time at home with my wife, Elin, and our dog, Kona. My event schedule for most of October through March was empty. With the exception of managing the 10th annual MS5000 motorcycle mileage contest, I was left with raking leaves, fixing … Read more

Inappropriate Medical Advances

I consider myself a fairly simple man with some common sense. Having a life long auto immune disease like Multiple Sclerosis certainly provides me plenty of opportunities to witness dumb and dangerous decisions from our healthcare system. The United States probably has the greatest doctors, medications and treatments in the world. However, rules and regulations … Read more

Road Trip — MS Changes a Biker’s Course

When the call rang into the bluetooth in Paul Pelland’s helmet, he was in the middle of the infamous 2003 Iron Butt Rally with some of the best endurance riders in the world. The rally spans the continental United States, and challenges the 100 chosen entrants to ride 11,000 miles in 11 days. The … Read more

Teri Garr — Before Ms And After

Circa 2007 Many people would attribute Teri Garr’s success to sweat, dedication and raw talent. But she gives top billing to a Beverly Hills numerologist, who convinced her to alter her name. “It was the best $35 I ever spent,” the actress and public speaker declares in the pages of her memoir, Speedbumps. There, the … Read more

Montel Williams interview with Dr. Gillian Friedman and Chet Cooper

A threatening war cry screams out, breaking the silence of the auditorium, “Mountain get out of my way!” Rap music fills the room, moving the young audience with its rhythm. The beat creates a bond between the group and this person on center stage. Minutes later gunshots fill the air. The music stops, as if … Read more