A Council Bluffs woman is busy training because in May, starting on her 40th birthday, she will run 166 miles over six consecutive days.
Michelle Graft is running from Vernal, Utah to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She's running the sixth leg of an 18 segment run from coast to coast. MS Run the US is a 3,100 mile run raising money and awareness to stop MS. The runners have a personal connection.
Graft recalls when she started noticing physical problems last year. "I started having involuntary movement of my arm. When I went to the doctor I thought it was a pinched nerve, but it ended up being MS," Graft says.
She said she spent about two months feeling really down after her diagnosis but finally got out of the rut when she hopped on her treadmill. She's been a longtime runner. That's when she decided to take part in the relay. You can donate to Graft's fundraiser for the race here.
"It's amazing what we can do when we have a purpose that meets a passion that's greater than ourselves. Since my diagnosis I see things differently, my perspective of things is a lot different, it's not about things, it's about people." Graft says.
The most important person in her life is her 11-year-old son Landon. He is incredibly proud of his mom. He said, "I find it amazing how she has MS and everything going on in her life, and she still has the courage to do something like this."
Landon said his mom is a positive person, "when you think that things are down she makes you think of what's good, what can go right."
That's the message she hopes to instill in her son. "I want to show him it doesn't matter what happens to you, you just make the best of it, and keep going forward, and don't let it keep you down too long," Graft said.
Here again is information if you'd like to financial support Graft and MS Run the US.
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