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 ice and snow. For my wife and I, Fall means it’s time to harvest the acorns, rake millions of oak leaves, and clean out the chimney and gutters.
I try to make sure the cars are ready for the winter. Tires, brakes and fluids checked. Wiper blades replaced and washer fluid topped off. I go through the motorcycles as well, installing fresh tires, changing the oil and repairing items and gear that was worn out or damaged over the last 50,000 miles of riding for a cure.
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Our town dump closes in October, so any larger junk or yard waste we have been collecting needs to be disposed of or hidden away until Spring. As I routinely wear out ten sets of motorcycle tires a season, a trip to the landfill usually takes me an extra twenty minutes to explain that I am not a tire dealer trying to take advantage of my residency. That often leads to me explaining all the awesome places I get to ride to during the year.
Winter gives me a chance to look over my events and activities for the coming season and think about planning the year’s fundraising activities. One of the projects I look forward to each Fall is gathering 12 of the best photos I collected over the previous year and putting together my annual Chasing the Cure Calendar. It’s the only fundraising activity that doesn’t benefit the MS charity I work with, and people understand the proceeds from my calendars help offset my motorcycle fuel expenses over the coming year.
I finished designing my calendar in October, and sent the proof off to the printer just as I was leaving for the TouraTexas Rally in Burnet Texas. It was my last event of the year and the 2200 mile trip would be my last ride for a while as I was finally able to reschedule my second corneal transplant for the end of November. As I would need a few months to recover my eyesight, everything seemed to plan out just right.
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While I was in Texas, the surgeon called and said they needed to reschedule my surgery. My cornea transplant was then scheduled just five days away, and just 12 hours after I returned from Texas!
I did rush straight home, excited that I might soon be able to see out of my left eye again! As I rode, I realized I would not be able to complete a lot of the Fall chores around the house and yard as I had hoped, because I knew from the last surgery it will be a slow recovery with wonky vision changing daily for a few months until it stabilized.
I made a plan in my head, prioritized the chores and when I got home, I parked the bike and started raking leaves. I climbed the roof and cleaned the gutters and winterized the lawnmower. The rest of the cleanup would need to wait a few weeks.
I was excited to see the UPS driver had delivered 3 heavy boxes of calendars and I was really happy I had them and made sure my website was updated and ready to announce they were available for sale. By the time I made it to bed that evening, I was exhausted, but had very little time to think about the eye surgery merely hours away!
It’s now been over a month since receiving my new cornea, and the jury is still out on it’s success. My last check up showed vision in that eye was 2/200. My surgeon believes it will improve. Over the last 6 years I have been riding with limited vision in that left eye, constantly dealing with prescription changes for my glasses and the additional complexities of wearing a scleral lens. I do hope this one works, and by hook or by crook (pirate eye patch pun intended), I will be back on the road by March, attempting to ride a million miles while raising awareness and funds for people living with Multiple Sclerosis.
My limited edition calendars are almost sold out! Although I can’t really see it very well, I’ve heard this year’s photos are the best yet!
