"The Longest Marathon of My Life"
Even though we’re talking on the phone, you can practically hear the tears welling in Eileen Friedman’s eyes.
The South Florida mother of two is running through a list of the meaningful events in her life, and it’s a substantial list. One that stands out is the first Walk MS event she ever attended, in 1997. In front of her were several people with stickers on their backs reading, “I’m walking for Alan Feller.”
She didn’t know who these people were, but she knew who Alan Feller was: her brother.
“It turned out they were his doctor and his doctor’s nurses,” Eileen said recently. “Do you know what it’s like for a sister to see a stranger with her brothers’ name? Very, very moving.”
She resolved to keep participating in Walk MS — even after her own MS diagnosis came five years later. In fact, Eileen uses her annual Walk MS experience as a sort of motivational booster shot, and has propelled herself into running marathons with the support of a nutritionist, a friend turned running partner, an international sports organization for people with disabilities, and her family.
En route, Eileen has become a champion for people with MS who want to stay active. Prevention Magazine and ABC’s Good Morning America recognized the way she motivates others by naming her one of five winners in their second annual Picture of Health contest in June 2008. Each winner got $10,000 — half for herself and half for charity.
How does Eileen balance her drive to keep fit with the limitations of her MS?
“We have to know what we can and can’t do. You can only know that by listening,” she said.
“I would never go out running at 2 in the afternoon in the burning sun. But at 7 in the morning, why not? When I feel good, I do it. When I don’t feel good, I don’t do it…. I’m definitely not a perfect picture, but I make healthy choices, and I have to say I thank my MS.”
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