Koreen Burrow and David Fox have done 25 Bike MS events
CANFIELD
Koreen Burrow and her husband, David Fox, admit it. The Canfield couple’s lives are consumed by riding 150-mile, two-day Bike MS cycling events to raise money for multiple sclerosis research.
Their goal: Ride at least one event in each of the 50 states.
So far, they have ridden in 25 events in 22 states, as attested to by tattoos on the calf of Fox’s right leg representative of each state in which they’ve ridden.
He is considering adding Ohio State University mascot Brutus Buckeye to commemorate their participation in the Ohio Pedal to the Point Ride on Aug. 3-4.
“He has the most-photographed leg in the world,” his wife said with a laugh.
When they moved to Canfield from Alaska last November, one of their requirements was that their Realtor find them a place near a bike trail.
Their home is about a mile from a section of the Great Ohio Lake to River Greenway Bike Trail.
Burrow was 26 when diagnosed with MS in 1991. At first she did not go public about having the disease, but she considers herself lucky.
Her initial symptom, numbness on her left side, occurred while studying for her master’s degree in molecular biology and pathology at OSU’s Department of Neurology.
“I was lucky. I got a quick diagnosis and was able to begin therapy right away,” she recalled. “The doctor with whom I was working said you either have MS or a brain tumor. I had an MRI and a diagnosis within a week. For some, a diagnosis can take months,” she said.
Burrow is also among the 85 percent of people diagnosed with MS that have relapsing/remitting MS, the most common of the four disease courses identified in MS.
It is characterized by clearly defined attacks, called flare-ups, with full recovery and a lack of disease progression between relapses, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Now 49, Burrow, through medications, diet, exercise, “listening” to her body and “luck” has stayed in the disease’s relapsing/remitting stage.
Because she worked for a doctor who saw MS patients, Burrow, when diagnosed, knew what could happen.
“It scared me,” she admitted.
Her future husband, whom she met at OSU and who has an associate degree in business management from Franklin University, had proposed just a month before.
“I thought everything in my life would change,” she said.
But to her surprise, she said there were changes, but they didn’t last. Instead, the symptoms went into remission. She has had relapses over the years when symptoms occurred. She temporarily lost vision in one eye and her speech on another occasion, but she said she has always gotten everything back.
Her most-severe relapse occurred after she crashed riding her bike and injured her shoulder.
She believes the stress and trauma caused by the accident triggered the flare-up, but once again she made a full recovery from her MS symptoms.
Burrow, who grew up on a farm in Ashland County, was very quiet about her MS for many years.
“I was afraid people would treat me differently or might think I couldn’t do my job,” she said. Burrow, as a BP employee, often works in the field in the tough gas and oil industry.
Also, she said she felt guilty because other people with MS had more- severe symptoms and their disease was getting worse.
“Finally, I figured I shouldn’t feel guilty. ... I should help,” Burrow said, and in 2007 rode in her first Bike MS event in Alaska.
The couple, who took an extended road trip after college and ran out of money in Alaska, ended up living there more than 20 years. They lived in Eagle River near Anchorage, where Fox operated the only Schlotzsky’s restaurant franchise in the state.
She was the top fundraiser for the Bike MS ride, and part of her prize was a free trip to another Bike MS ride.
She said she choked up at the finish line where people with walkers and in wheelchairs cheered and applauded showing their appreciation.
She was hooked.
The next year, her husband joined her in the Alaska ride, and their journey to cycle Bike MS events in all 50 states was underway.
They plan to do 10 to 12 events this year, including Ohio’s Pedal to the Point Ride next month. The first leg of the ride is from Brunswick High School to Sandusky High School. The second day, the riders reverse the route to complete the 150-mile event.
To keep in cycling condition, they do indoor spinning three days a week and ride outdoors several times a week weather permitting.
Not everybody with MS can do what Burrow does, but still she believes it is important not to give up. “Do what you can. I believe every little bit helps,” she said.
“When I was diagnosed, there were no medications for long-term therapy. All doctors could do was treat the symptoms. Today, there are numerous medications that can help,” she added.
“Emotionally, I hate taking the drugs. But, as a scientist, I believe in research and data. Something is working. I do well physically, and research has shown that immunosuppressant drugs help reduce the number of flare-ups ... so I take them,” she said.
Nearly every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. It is very important to find good therapies and treatments to improve quality of life for people with MS, Burrow said.
And ultimately that’s why they ride.
People who want to donate and credit Fox and Burrow, visit MSohiobike.org, click on “teams,” and find David and Koreen Bike the US 4 MS .
People who want to join Burrow and Fox and the estimated 2,900 cyclists expected for the Aug. 3-4 Bike MS Pedal to the Point Ride, there are route options of 30, 75, 100 and 150 miles with rest stops every 8 to 12 miles.
Online registration, which is $75, closes Sunday. Riders may also register Aug. 2 from noon to 9 p.m. at Brunswick High School, 3581 Center Road, Brunswick. The Aug. 2 fee is $80. Riders are responsible for meeting a $300 fund-raising minimum.
For information about riding or volunteering Bike MS, visit MSohiobike.org or call 216-503-4183.