3,500 Miles to a Better Life Tuesday, February 21, 2012 By Co-Editor Sydnie Holzfaster Co-Editor Sydnie Holzfaster - Sean Brier Advertising Marion Wright Edelman once said “You really can change the world if you care enough.” That challenge is just what Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan recently took on in his bike ride to across the country. Phil set a goal to promote awareness and raise $100,000 in funds for Multiple Sclerosis, by biking across America. Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease that effects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This disease can ultimately lead to extreme paralysis, chronic aching pain, visual disorders, and several other health infractions. It has been estimated that roughly 400,000 Americans have some form of MS, but unfortunately there has yet to be a cure for this disease. Phil began his journey in Los Angles, California, and peddled roughly 100 miles each day for a grand total of 3,500 miles by the time he reached New York City. By the time he had reached the Big Apple he had endured hospitalization, severe dehydration, and an accident in Ohio that left a majority of his face bloody and bruised. Nevertheless, while cycling into New York he was also greeted with banners, large crowds of cheering fans, and a check for $500,000 made out to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. You don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to be famous to make a difference. You just have to find something that is important to you and follow it through to the end, rather it be biking across America to end MS or teaching a little kid how to read. Everyone has the capacity to do something that could make a our world a better place to live. So what’s yours?  And, more importantly, what are you doing about it?

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