Unfortunately, we write this with heavy hearts. We hoped my ankle issue would pass, but were not so fortunate. We were prepared to press on when we stopped in Dalton MA, after giving it a day or two to heal, but it didn’t get any better. Again we drove home with thoughts of sadness on our minds.
We were getting stronger every day. Our bodies were turning into the machines we hoped they would from all the challenges on the AT that we overcame. We were looking forward to some of the shelters and places we were going to be seeing in MA.
Unfortunately, all that will have to wait until next year.
It wasn’t expected to go this way. We were given the opportunity of a lifetime and we expected we would succeed. It was expected that the Multiple Sclerosis would be, if anything, what would cause us to stop our journey. This though, is one of the most valuable lessons that the trail taught us. Expect all you want. Things will happen as they’re going to no matter how much you try and put your own agenda to it. When we would plan each day in the morning, we would have 2 locations as destinations for our campsite each night. If we made it to the first place and were feeling good and wanted to push on we would end up at the second destination. Then sometimes neither would be were we ended up. We started realizing that planning our day wasn’t actually necessary. Just having the drive to walk the trail each day led our path to where we were supposed to be no matter what. We were learning to “fly by the seat of our pants,” one might say. This was the most valuable lesson on the trail and sadly it was what we had to lean on when we made the ultimate decision to come home.
This doesn’t mean you are not responsible for what happens in your life. No, not at all. Things aren’t just going to happen for you. You still have to “walk” your path. As you walk on each day, and are open to what might come along, that is when you find the places in life where you’re meant to be. We all have goals and aspirations. Those are like flashlights for our path. They help shine light onto our path, but the path is not going to change. If were meant to be at point “A” our path is not going to take us to point “B,” no matter how hard we try and force it.
So, back to work and life we will go. As our sadness fades, we reflect on our journey and we are filled with all that makes us grateful. This WAS as opportunity of a lifetime and nothing about that is worth our sadness. We gained life changing moments that we’ll always take with us. We walked in Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, taking us over 300 miles. We showed Multiple Sclerosis that it’s NOT the boss. We talked to many people about Multiple Sclerosis and how beneficial it was to be on the trail with this disease.
So, though we may be stopping, this is only temporary. Our thru hike of the AT might have turned into a section hike is all. Many do. We have the Appalachian Trail here in New Hampshire and we plan to continue our hiking as soon as possible. And as we hike on we will continue to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis and we will continue our fundraising efforts until there is a cure. With nearly one million people living in the United States with Multiple Sclerosis, we will push on for them. No one should fight this fight alone.
We hope that following our journey you have seen our triumph over this disease. Ben went from having a multitude of symptoms to nearly none. He had muscle spasms, numbness, balance problems and lack of coordination, difficulties moving his arms and legs, unsteady gait and walking, weakness and tremors in arms and legs, vision problems, overall weakness and fatigue, dizziness, depression, cognitive impairment, and a terribly painful MS hug, all would come and go at various times as the days and weeks of life go on. On the trail, with the daily fresh air and exercise, and relaxing sounds of nature, these symptoms we minimized. Only a few moments of numbness of his lower right leg happened just a handful of times. The symptom would leave shortly after it would arrive, which is unlike the way it would present at home. At home this symptom would often last for hours. Also there was only 2 moments of balance issues while walking on the trail. They too went as fast as they came. Then there was one day we stayed off the trail, because he woke with numbness and tingling in his legs and arms, leading to a day of fatigue. All in all, these symptoms were very mild on the trail when compared to what he deals with at home. Stress is likely the biggest contributor to all the symptoms he deals with when at home. We learned a lot about what helps him and we’re going to be hiking as much as possible from now on.
I would give anything to give my ankle issues over to him and take away this disease. My doctor thinks I might have a stress fracture, but diagnosis is not complete. Though having this I shall recover. My wonderful husband will still have MS. I will still continue to watch him battle this every day. I pray for more days like we’ve had on the trail in his future. And we will reflect on the wonderful moments we shared and the people we met on the trail as we wait to hike on.
Hike on, we shall.
To where our path will lead, we shall see.
To Be Continued…………
Every dollar raised directly supports people living with MS in our community, funding important programs and services and fueling research. You are helping to create a bigger impact than you may realize.
My MS vs The AT 