Page 18 - ABILITY Magazine - Avril Lavigne Issue

the front desk. The conference attendees were unaware a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient would be presenting, and that my talk was being used to inspire them after their first long day of technical training.
The stream of water trailing me was impossible to hide, and dressed in full riding gear, I was leaking all over the marble floor. It would have been more embarrassing if I weren’t so cold and tired. I certainly looked out of place amongst the smartly dressed guests, so I whispered my name to the reservation clerk, as if I were at the pharma- cy retrieving my prescription for head lice. I knew once I could unload and clean up, the identity of the weary and wet vagabond would remain my little secret.
Short term memory loss from MS is a challenge when you are a public speaker and one that I work hard to overcome. I reworked my talk multiple times over the next 24 hours, rehearsed it a dozen times and practiced with a new teleprompter app that I downloaded to my iPad. It was an experiment in trust, because if it crashed or messed up, I was stuck looking like an idiot in front of 1000 people.
I wanted my message to be positive, powerful, witty and memorable, all while explaining how truly grateful I am for what they do. After all, 10 years since my diagnosis, and my disease had not progressed. Because of changes I’d made in my life, I was healthier and happier than before my diagnosis. I was following my passion, made possible because of advances in MS medications. So what these people do every day is personal and important.
I’m pretty sure I nailed the talk, because it took me an hour to make my way out of the auditorium, shaking hands and getting contact information. I felt like a movie star, or at least a very popular exotic dancer! Later at the bar, plans were brewing for me to ride and speak all over the country. Come to think of it, I never did pay for a single drink all night.
When I headed out the next morning, it was a bit warmer and the sun was finally out. Most of my gear had dried out. I wanted to travel the Texas Panhandle and stay in Panama City, FL, but every time I tried to ride the coastal route, it started to rain, drizzle or I got stuck in traffic. I ditched that idea and drove the entire 1100 miles to Jacksonville. I arrived quite spent, but a warm shower and a dry bed fixed that.
The next morning I decided to head to Daytona Beach, to catch all the action. I promised my sponsors I would try to stop in and visit with my friends at Yamaha. In all the planning and packing I did prior to this trip, I had completely forgotten about Florida weather and was soon overcome by the noon heat. Starting with weak- ness in my leg, my symptoms quickly progressed to slowed speech and confusion. Thanks to my friends at Twisted Throttle, I was escorted into an air-conditioned trailer to recuperate. I really felt stupid for leaving my CTC-100 cooling system in New Hampshire. After 30 minutes and some cold bottled water, I was good to go. Thankfully these heat-induced episodes cause no lasting damage, just a reminder of where I will not be spending my retirement years!
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