2013 Run, Walk, Ride Award

A few months ago I learned that I had won the 2013 Cash, Sweat and Tears Award for my contributions to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. This organization covers all charities in North America and Canada, and it was the first time that an MS nominee won.

This was my acceptance speech:

Good evening,

First and foremost I wish to thank our host: the Peer to Peer Professional Forum.

I must confess that I was not very familiar with the organization before I was contacted regarding this event, but when I looked in to it I was impressed with the amount of participating charities. To me it means that these charities are willing to think out of the box and to consider novel ways of achieving their goals.

You may hear this every year from each Cash, Sweat and Tears recipient, but when I received the phone call, first from my local MS Chapter, then from David, with the news, I thought it was some sort of mistake.

I found it hard to believe that, among all the nominees from such a variety of charities, no one would be more entitled than myself. As a matter of fact, just a few weeks before getting the news of this Award, I attended the Annual National Multiple Sclerosis Society Leadership Convention in Denver, and also there I heard stories that are at least as, if not more, inspiring than my own. Attending events like the one in Denver and of course this one makes you realize what can be achieved by effort and perseverance.

However despite my initial disbelief, David insisted that no mistake was made, so here I am, very grateful and more than a little intimidated.

Fundraising has become increasingly difficult. Economic uncertainty and income inequality put pressure on the middle class, which traditionally is the most important target segment for successful mass fundraising campaigns. Therefore, I am very pleased to see an organization that functions as a resource for peer-to-peer fundraising, strategies, and general information and statistics.

So thank you very much to David and his team for dedicating your time and effort to these causes.

I wish to thank the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for nominating me. I know they had the choice of many others, and I am very proud and humbled to stand here representing them.

I also wish to thank all of you for attending this Conference. It shows commitment and drive to improve the lives of others and therefore your own. I am a big believer that the more you give, the more you receive, and one can never be too generous with one’s time and money when it comes to helping others.

I hope that all of you will walk away from this event with fresh information, ideas and connections, which will prove useful in your future endeavors. And meanwhile a few days in this wonderful hotel do not hurt either…

I wish to start my story with a quote by Neale Donald Walsh, an American author, actor and screenwriter: “Life begins at the end of our comfort zone.”

For 14 years now, I have been involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, by participating in the annual Walk MS organized by my local New York Chapter.

The impetus for my involvement was my mother, who was diagnosed with MS in the late 80’s. Even though she lived in Belgium with progressive MS and would not directly benefit from my fundraising dollars, it was still something I felt compelled to do, mainly because almost all the research performed towards understanding this disease, finding better treatment and eventually finding a cure, is funded by the National MS Society. There is very little government support, and for many pharmaceutical companies MS is not sexy enough to warrant a large part of their R&D. This is where the MS Society steps in, helping each person address the challenges of living with MS, funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families live their best lives.

The first year I walked was 2002 and I raised $1,655. This annual amount gradually rose and in 2013 I raised a total of $165,020. But 2013 was a special year for many reasons.

After a long and brave struggle, my Mom passed away last year. She had remained an incredibly positive person throughout her life, and was a great inspiration to all who were blessed enough to have known her. She lived far outside of her comfort zone, especially during the last 11 years, after my Dad unexpectedly passed away. However she managed to handle every controversy and setback with grace and courage. Cars were adapted, elevators were installed as well as rails on the ceilings. My kids were particularly excited about these, which they used as zip lines to fly across the rooms.

So, despite the fact that my plan was to retire from walking for the MS Society, I decided to carry on to honor my mom. I received extra support for the Walk last year, and then, late July, the MS Society mentioned to me that they could get me a spot in the NYC Marathon.  Those who know me know that I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. I have pursued many interests in life, but none of them involved strenuous physical exercise.  When I said I was not a runner, I was countered with “you will be when you’re done”.

15 weeks before the marathon, I went out and bought a pair of running shoes. When I contacted the people who were running the training program for the MS Marathon Team and asked them when and where to meet I was told that I was not good enough to train with them. They told me this in the most polite manner, claiming that either I would get injured or frustrated trying to keep up. I’m sure they were right. However I did not let this frank assessment discourage me.

So I contacted the New York Road Runners Club, the organizers of this fine event, and they assigned me a virtual trainer: Coach John. Coach John is a real person, but it was via e-mail that he would tell me every day for 12 weeks what to do. I still have not met Coach John, but his advice and responsiveness helped me tremendously. After a few weeks of training, I was sidelined for almost a week with a knee injury, and the week before the event, I had a terrible cold. I could not train that week, and the Friday and Saturday before the marathon I was home in bed. However Coach John kept the faith; never considered telling me “maybe we should wait for next year”.

Sunday November 3, 2013, I and 50,700 of my closest friends went out on a chilly and windy morning. I was hoping to break 6 hours and ended up breaking 5. Even though I was already pretty miserable after 2 miles, I could not allow myself to quit. I knew that no matter how much pain and discomfort I would feel, this would all be temporary. The thought that I was doing this for people, whose pain and discomfort is usually permanent, motivated me even more. Quitting was never an option.

In return for securing me a spot, I committed to raising a minimum amount for the MS Society. I only told less than 20 people that I was running this thing, and I only asked 4 of those for a contribution. I did not want to spread the word, because in case I could not finish it I did not want to suffer the embarrassment. Furthermore, the generous donations of those 4 put me already comfortably over my minimum of $4,000.  In the end, I raised $54,140.

Which brings me to the core of this tale. Over the years, as my key contributors continued to step up, it would have been easy to lower my fundraising efforts. I could have figured that if I had already raised significantly more than anyone else, why should I go the extra mile.  What is another 100 bucks, if you already have 165,000? This is wrong. EVERY dollar counts. We cannot rest comfortably while so many continue to suffer.

So with the surprising addition of the NYC Marathon, my fundraising total for the MS Society is $691,495.

I have to say that, coming from Western Europe, having lived on 3 continents and traveled in a couple more, it never ceases to amaze me how Americans come together in times of need. No matter how large or small the contribution, they feel that it is their duty to donate time, energy and money, more than anyone else. Where I come from, Belgium, fundraising like this is pretty much unheard of, and I can clearly see the different mentality every time I request for a donation.

I hereby wish to thank Gregory and Regina Weingarten from the Annenberg Foundation for their tremendous support over the years, and without whom none of this would have been possible

I also thank my partner Cesaltine and our two children Vincent and Charlotte, who have supported me along the way, walked with me all over New York City and endured my absence and occasional foul mood during the Marathon training period.

2013 was a special year. Thankfully I do not have another family member battling MS.  However, over the years, I have met wonderful and inspiring people, who have managed to live with MS in an incredibly productive manner.

So I will be back, maybe not running another marathon, but making every effort to continue the fight.

Receiving this award is a great honor, and will motivate me for many years to come. It means a lot to me to figure among past and future recipients, who undoubtedly share great achievements and inspiring stories.

Thank you again, all of you for being here and listening to me, and I hope that all of you will return home, ready to carry on the good work for whichever cause is dear to you. Go the extra mile, because don’t forget: staying in your comfort zone is like giving up on life. Never forget whom you are doing this for. He or she has a whole different comfort zone than your own.

Good night.