Jul 06, 2009
Activist Lives Life to the Fullest
Diana Lain is a busy woman. At age 60, she recently took up surfing for the first time. She has been skydiving and snow skiing. And she tries to make time to swim most days.
Diana has also spent time in Washington, D.C. advocating for a cause close to heart—Multiple Sclerosis. The native New Yorker, who relocated to Jacksonville 6 years ago, joined other representatives of the North Florida Chapter of the National MS Society and attended a Public Policy Conference there earlier this year. She came away impressed by the willingness of members of Congress to listen as the group advocated for healthcare reform and funding for research.
Oh—you should probably know that Diana, herself, has MS, spends her days in a motorized wheelchair and has a full-time caregiver in her friend, Cathy Bailey. Obviously, none of that slows her down or gets in her way.
"You've got to live each day to the fullest,” says Diana. "When opportunity knocks, you don't say no."
And she doesn’t say no to much.
The divorced mother of five originally came to Jacksonville when Cathy insisted she move to Florida so she could take care of her. Cathy, a dance instructor and gardener, selflessly cares for Diana, and the two, together, reach out and show their care for others with MS. The pair leads a self-help group for others with MS at the beach and they play a very active role in the events, activities and fundraising for the North Florida Chapter. In fact, they raised more than $1000 for the organization at this year’s First Coast Walk MS.
All of that positive energy and caring about others has found its way back to Diana and Cathy. For several years, Diana was unable to use the pool in their back yard. With limited use of her limbs, she couldn’t get in and out of the water, even with Cathy’s help. They needed a lift.
So a group of the pair’s friends—including the North Florida MS Chapter—pooled resources and purchased and installed the lift. So now Cathy can help Diana into the water, where she can do exercises important for her condition, along with cooling off and having fun.
Which, after all, is what Diana—and Cathy—live to do.