Tina Ruhs

A very special MS Gong Ride for me this year :)

This year marks a really special occassion for not only myself but for the team also. My brother Steven who has not ridden in the Gong Ride for about 5 years is getting back on the saddle and riding again in this years MS Gong Ride. Just an absolute LEGEND!!!

As a lot of you are aware, our team Gong Ballistic have been riding in the MS Gong Ride for over 14 years now and have successfully fundraised over $500,000 for people with MS.

The team started back in 2009 with only three riders, my brother Manuel, myself and my brother Steven who was diagnosed with MS when he was 16.

Steven had ridden in the Gong Ride for a few years before that but that year was the first year that we started fundraising.

It’s funny because I remember that day so well! It was my first gong ride and I was so nervous about doing the 90km ride so I opted for the 56km and both my brothers were there to ride with me. When I look at this pic I am reminded of the strength of my brother Steven. As you can see on his back he wears one of those camel backs filled with water. That camelback was mine and when we started riding I felt this huge weight on my back and I started to feel like I couldn’t breathe. You see when I was training I never rode with the camelback and because I felt like I wasn’t going to have enough water with me I took the camelback on the day of the ride. When I had to stop and catch my breathe Steven told me to take it off and give it to him which I did. He rode with this bloody thing all the way to the end to help me.

 It’s ironic isn’t it, that my purpose was to help him by fundraising so he can be able to access services, treatment and vital support and  in the end he helped me.

Steven had two boys then, Stratos who was two and half years old and Paul who was one. Fast forward 14yrs and those two boys now aged 16 and 15 will ride alongside their dad in their first ever MS Gong Ride.

As an aunty and as a sister this makes me really happy, emotional, excited and immensely proud all at the same time. It will definitely be a memorable and iconic ride for all of us.

It’s quite staggering to think that multiple sclerosis affects more young people than any other chronic neurological condition. The average age of diagnosis is 30 years, and there is no known cure.

Every person’s MS varies, but some of the symptoms are not being able to see properly (or at all), loss of balance, ability to walk, pins and needles, and chronic pain.

Your support will help people with multiple sclerosis receive the vital support, treatments, and services to help them live well at home, remain connected to work, and be part of the community.

Thankyou and we hope that by helping us we have the opportunity to help those that are living with MS like my brother Steven.