Member Thoughts: Why I Ride

ByCheryl Hyder, CPA
Principal, Hyder Consulting, Fairfax

Thisyear my husband and I participated in a 160-mile bike ride to benefit theNational Multiple Sclerosis Society over CPA Day of Service weekend. Wetypically participate in a “watershed clean-up” event around the same time asthe annual Day of Service, but I’ve never connected the two because our mindsetis there needn’t be a single day or week to give back to one’s community.

Sohow did I decide to participate in this year’s MS-160, and why that event? It’sbeen 12 years since we last participated in a long-distance charity ride; infact, the last time we rode, prior to this year, I was just under three monthspregnant with our oldest child and the ride was “only” 150 miles long (175 withthe “bonus” miles, which we completed). We opted to come out of charity-rideretirement this year to celebrate each of us turning 50 with relatively goodhealth, and also to set an example for our kids.

Toback up a bit, I’ve always been an outdoor sports enthusiast. Both my husbandand I were cyclists before we met, me as more of a wandering weekend rider andhe as a superlatively dedicated one. I had a pretty horrible bicycle wreckabout a year before he and I met, which left my spinal cord partially severed —I had no feeling in my legs, and walking was an adventure. I was still livingin southern New Jersey at the time, and eventually, my cycling injury led me tothe University of Pennsylvania’s neurosurgery team. Penn’s team determined Ineeded to replace the lower half of my spine with titanium or I’d never be ableto lead a normal life again — no walking, no hiking, no biking. I had thesurgery, and one year later I participatedin my first distance bicycle ride, a 150-mile ride, to prove to myself and anyanyone else paying attention that all was well again in my world. We joined theUniversity of Pennsylvania’s MS-150 bike team, in gratitude for their greatwork in patching me up.

Whichbrings the question, why support the MS Society? There are many organizationssponsoring many long-distance charity bike rides. Why this one? And yes, it’strue — there are, and we could choose one with a lower registration fee. Wecould also choose a shorter ride that would require less of a trainingcommitment. But this is the distance ride we’ve committed to supporting. I losta cousin to MS. Her progression was slow and steady and her frustration overher body’s betrayal and her determination to maintain her dignity and qualityof life was clear. For more than 20 years, my husband had to sit idly by andwatch a close coworker come into the office after being diagnosed. First, he would walk in with a smile, then one day hewalked in with a cane. Then the cane gave way to a walker, and eventually, the walker became a wheelchair —manual and then electric. And then he couldn’t work anymore.

Knowingthat we couldn’t directly help people we cared about was frustrating. So, weride because we can, for everybody with a family member or friend who has beendiagnosed and is fighting to live a normal life. The BikeMS organization stagesrides nationwide which, according to their website, “raises more money than anyother cycling event for any other cause. To date, Bike MS cyclists “have raisedmore than $1 billion so people with MS can live their best lives.” Simply put,the proceeds from this ride will support that mission to live one’s best life,for others coming after my cousin and his co-worker. And so we ride for them.

Myunderstanding is there were nearly 8,000 riders this year — 400on our team alone. We faced some weather-related challenges on Day 1, but Day 2gave us beautiful clear skies. We met our combined goal of raising $4,000 (inrecognition of the 400,000 active MS cases in the US currently); and I need tothank VSCPA’s Connect community for affording a platform to solicitcontributions to this cause, and to those who helped us meet our goal. Theriders this year included many folks diagnosed with MS, and at least one Paralympic athlete.In years past, we’ve shared our road space with a 90-year old woman we didnot see this year.And we are looking forward to riding again, in 2017, also and still for theUniversity of Pennsylvania team. Because we can.