The Other Day......

1. I turned off my alarm
2. I sat up
3. Iwalked to the bathroom
4. I peed in the toilet
5. I flushed
6. I washed my hands
7. I put toothpaste on my toothbrush
8. I brush my teeth
9. I filled the cup with water
10. I rinsed and spit into the sink
11. I walked to the kitchen
12. I made a cup of coffee
13. I turned on the computer
14. I started drinking my coffee
15. I check my email
16. I walked back to the bathroom
17. I sat on the toilet
18. I pooped and cleaned myself
19. I washed my hands again
20. I put on my socks
21. I put on my shoes
22. I put on sweatpants, a sweatshirt and a jacket
23. I unlocked the apartment door from the inside
24. I opened the apartment door
25. locked the apartment door
26. I called the elevator
27. I opened the elevator door 
28. I sent the elevator to the lobby 
29. I left the elevator 
30. I opened the apartment building door 
31. Then I moved on with my day

Those are 30 things that I bet you all take for granted. But there was a six-month period in the middle of 2014 when I couldn't do any of them, I would've had to patiently wait (sometimes not so patiently) for professional caregiver or a family member or friend to help me with any of those individual things. But on the first day of 2017, for the first time in two years, seven months, three weeks and four days, I did all those things without assistance. I was able to get up and leave the house without waking someone up to help me.

So, fuck you GBS! I will not rest. I will not stop. Stop and rest are both my four letter words. I do not want to sit in front of the window, I want to go out. I want to move forward. I will be inspired by people like Steve Prefontaine."A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts......"

People say that being a marathon runner helped prepare me for my fight against GBS. They talk about muscle memory and strong legs and stuff like that. I think that's bullshit. Being a marathon runner taught me how to meet long-term goals, how to work past discomfort and fatigue. It taught me that forward motion was infinitely better than no motion.

So if you happen to see me a race you can cheer "GO MICHAEL" or "GO ACHILLES" or "GO PPTC". But if you really want to drive me towards that finish line, you scream "FUCK YOU! GBS!";

Thanks Ralph@Studio 28 

So like most things, in order to do it well you have to practice. So if you're reading this now take a moment... And give me 10 repetitions in your biggest outdoor voice.  Do it for me. Do it for yourself. Do it for everyone that was affected by this fucking disease.

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"

"FUCK YOU! GBS!"