May 18, 2012
Sea Girt, NJ – Sea Girt resident, Brian Byrne, will get on his bike this coming May 19th to cycle the New Jersey coastline to help to fund a cure for multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system for which there is no cure. For 17 years Brian has supported the National MS Society and the over 13,000 people in New Jersey affected by the disease by participating in the Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride.
Brian first started riding for the Coast the Coast in 1995, when his best friend from high school sister-in-law was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He started riding with some friends from high school. Over the years many friends have moved away but Brian kept riding. There were some years where he would ride alone and other years with a few some friends or his brother.
Three years ago Brian’s boss’s 22 year-old daughter was diagnosed with MS and “I decided it was time to form a team”, says Brian. Brian’s team, THE BYRNE UNIT started with 11 guys and has grown to almost 20 members doing either the 50 mile or the 25 mile ride. The Byrne Unite has been a top fundraising team for the past several years, raising $22,674 in last year’s “Coast the Coast” ride and they have already raised almost $14,000 this year.
On Saturday, May 19, 2012 Brian and his team will put the pedal to the meddle and coast the New Jersey coast to help create a world free of MS in the 2012 Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride. His goal is to create MS awareness and raise funds to support critical programs and services and h help fund a cure.
The New Jersey Metro Chapter’s “Coast the Cost” Bike MS ride will host over 2,000 participants and volunteers with a goal of raising $1 million as they pedal along the Jersey Shore. Participants are welcome to register individually, or join or create a team, and choose from one or two day ride lengths. For more information about Bike MS please contact: Mary Beth Maclearieat 800-344-4867 or visit http://bikenjm.nationalmssociety.org.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.
About the National MS Society
The National MS Society is a movement by and for people with MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education and provides programs and services that help people with MS and their families to move their lives forward. MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn’t.
Join the movement.
Find out more at nationalMSsociety.org/njm
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