Last summer, my son and I participated in something called “City Chase”, which is a lot like The Amazing Race, only it takes place in downtown Vancouver. I’d been wanting to do it for a couple of years and last year, the good folks of Urban Rec, who are one of the sponsors of City Chase generously offered me free Registration. The opportunity was too good to pass up!
The day of the Chase, I was nervous. I have tendon damage in my left foot because I walk off kilter from my MS and if I’m on my feet too long, it becomes incredibly painful. I had no idea how hard the chase points were going to be, but I figured between my son and I, we’d figure it out and make it work. The Chase kicked off at 10 a.m. sharp. We got our clue sheet and were off.
We did all kinds of crazy things at the chase points, including blasting things with a fireman’s hose while in full turn out gear, dragging weighted dummies, playing scrabble, using a Blackberry to complete a photo treasure hunt, waxing my legs and painting my son’s toenails and we even played go-kart basketball.
At one chase point, we each took a turn riding a long board. (Like a skateboard, only longer and much less stable.) Because of the damage to my spinal cord from MS, I don’t have any sense of where my body is in space, so my balance is questionable. I didn’t let that stop me though-I hopped up on that board and my son grabbed my hands and towed me around the course. It worked, except that at one point there was an incline, the board picked up speed and flew out from under my feet. I took a nasty spill, but once I stopped feeling like I was jangling from the impact, I got right back on that board and finished. (The morning after the race, I realized that I had tweaked my knee, so I had to go to the ER for x-rays.)
The day of the race also turned out to be one of the hottest days of our entire summer, with temperatures reaching 31C. I can tell you that I was not thrilled when late in the day we came to a chase point that involved a 5 minute aerobics workout in the hot sun. The numbness that I experience on a daily basis was made worse by being way too hot, but somehow I managed to get through it, by sheer force of will.
We managed to cross the finish line at 4:26 p.m., having completed 7 check points around the city. We were 26 minutes past the official end of the race, but there were teams that came in behind us and many that didn’t finish at all. The fact that we finished, in 30C heat, carrying 10 lbs. of stuff in each of our backpacks, with me being hugely affected by MS symptoms that worsen in the heat and a wrecked foot makes me REALLY proud! We had our own cheering section at the finish line and I consider it a personal victory that my son and I were able to walk across that finish the chase smiling and in good spirits. I’d say that’s a HUGE accomplishment. I’m really glad we got the chance to share that experience.
Once we’d had a much needed bite to eat on a cool patio, we went to Adrenaline and got tattoos of the City Chase logo on our ankles! This was hilarious because we were making our way to the skytrain, down Granville Street and as we neared Adrenaline, (our favourite local tattoo shop) my son turned to me and said “Hey Mum, we should get tattoos.” I instantly agreed, so we walked in and did it. Afterwards he said he was kind of shocked that I would do it on a whim. Oh young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn about your mum! It was the perfect ending to our day. Now every time I look at that tattoo, it reminds me that I’m fierce and can do anything I set my mind to. I am so much more than my MS.
*Photo: My son and I at the “Rescue Me” chase point in turn out gear.
Photo credit: City Chase
.. I have been thinking a lot about who I am and who I will become-all the time forgetting that the only one who can change my course of life is me. I often give agency to others-I let other people’s experiences cloud how I picture my life developing, and this is probably because I just don’t want to face my reality and I would rather know how things will work out-even if it is based on someone else’s account. But the truth (the scariest thing for me to admit by the way) is that there is still a lot I don’t know. There is still a lot I have to discover-about myself, about my MS-and all I can do is try my best to take charge of what I can and stop worrying about the rest. 
