Profile In Courage - Tony Fischer

Those of you who know me personally may find this hard to believe, my story is not a long one (and it DOES have a point).  It is not a story of disease and despair but rather a story of gratitude and inspiration!  This story is more about you and your impact on my life and the inspiration and hope that you provide.  As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in May of 1999, just 30 days after returning from my honeymoon in Costa Rica.  Since that time, I have seen an extensive family come together in support of this cause of trying to find a cure! Part of that “extensive family” has been the family that is the soccer community in the Greater Cincinnati area.  I have seen old friends and new and even total strangers walk, ride, or kick by my side in an effort to find a cure for this devastating disease.  I really have just been following your lead in this journey, doing whatever I can to help any others who have MS and do not have the capacity to participate in an event like this. 

Since being diagnosed, I have been very blessed in that I've only experienced a handful or so “episodes” consisting of numbness (or tingling) in some of my extremities (i.e. my left hand, the right side of my body, the left side of my face, etc.).  The numbness is rather superficial, like that part of my body has fallen asleep.  The numbness can result in weakness and loss of coordination (as evidenced in my play on the pitch).  I plan to continue in my participation in the KickMS Tournament, MS Walk, and MS150 bike tour events as long as I can (not necessarily gracefully though) and hopefully my LITTLE role in this much bigger endeavor we call KickMS will make a difference. 

If you are looking to get more involved in the KickMS Tournament or any other MS fundraising event, please feel free to contact me.  Also, if you or anyone close to you is directly affected by MS and would like to talk with someone, I'm more than happy to share my experiences with anyone.  However, I am by no means an expert on the disease!

Thank you all for the support you have given me over the years through your participation in this tournament and any other MS event in which you have participated.  Hopefully I can somehow repay you all someday!!

God Bless,

Diagnosed May ‘99
KickMS Committee Member
Team Flying Fish Cycling Team
Team Flying Fish MS Walk Team