Breaking News!!!! Janice Dean The Weather Machine’s Texas Irish CyclingTeam!

Every once in a while in my life I open my mouth and some small idea comes out. Just a small kernel of an idea. It’s just me being me, offering advice, an idea, helping someone out, etc. and then suddenly it goes POP!!!!!

6 years ago it was the RIT Big Shot Alamo, where 1500 people came together to take a once in a lifetime photograph of one of the most historic monuments in this country.



Three years later it was the MS150 Cruisin To The Coast MS150 tour from Fresno to Monterey. 100 of us rode a tour that many said could never be done. From Kerman, across the San Andreas Fault, through Hollister straight to the coast we raised money and awareness in Central California.




And now, three years after that, my desire to ride and honor Janice has POPPED! Instead of just me riding in her honor, it will be the entire Texas Irish Cycling Team. Oh wait, I am sorry, for this tour the name will become Janie Dean The Weather Machine’s Texas Irish Cycling Team! Don’t you like how it just naturally rolls off the tongue? We will ride out as a group of 50 or so members all with the cause of raising awareness and funds to help Janice and all of those currently living with MS.





Stick with us to see how this unfolds on this tour through these updates and on Janice and my blogs. There is definitely more to come!!!!!!!!!


Getting to Know Janice

What was the road to diagnosis like?

“When I look back before diagnosis, there were signs throughout my life that told me things were a little “off” in terms of moods, fatigue, fainting spells, weakness etc., but it wasn’t until the 2005 hurricane season when I was working long hours that I really had the big flare-up. I literally woke up one morning and had no feeling at the bottom of my feet and parts of my thighs. I wanted to sleep for a week. I was in Canada visiting family, and went to a doctor there who told me straight up “you could have something as simple as a slipped disk, or you could have something as serious as MS – you need to get an MRI done. So, I had MRIs done when we got back to the U.S. which showed I had lesions on both my brain and spine. The doctor also performed a Spinal Tap to which I also showed the proteins that indicate the breakdown products of myelin. I was in denial for awhile, and went to 3 different doctors to confirm the diagnosis. I had a second flare up 2 years later which confirmed the diagnosis.”

How did you take the news that you had MS? How did your husband take it?

“I took the news horribly. I thought my life was over. I cried for days and could not believe it – until I educated myself a little more and found the right doctor to help sort through the clutter of information I was bombarding myself with over the internet. The internet is a great resource, but it can also freak you out. I told my workplace right away, and thankfully they were very supportive, and told me to take as much time as I needed off work, and that my job would still be there when I was ready to come back. Thankfully I got all the feeling in my feet back after steroid treatments, and went back to work a few weeks later.

Thank God for my husband. He was obviously worried about me, but stuck by me, and supported me through the diagnosis and still through the ongoing treatments. The best thing he ever said to me was “I am not afraid of this disease – we fight it together.” It was almost as good as “will you marry me?””

As you can see finding out you actually do have MS is a long process that does not come easy. Take a moment and put yourself in Janice’s shoes and just imagine what it must be like to hear “You have Multiple Sclerosis”. Next week we will learn how the diagnosis has impacted her life.

Fundraising Update

Right now we are standing at about $900 raised so far! Thank you to all who have donated big and small! We have four weeks left and every week the reach of this message grows. At this point if everyone donated just $10 we would be well over $10,000 raised. Wouldn’t that be great! Here’s an incentive for those who would like to receive an 8by10byScott original photograph. If you donate $100 you will receive an 8X10 print of your choice. Once you make your donation I will contact you for your choice. If you find a way to make ten $10 donations you qualify. Find ten people to make a $10 donation and you qualify. Let’s see if we can get to that $10,000 number! Please make your donation here


The Photos are:

View of a Moo


Butterfly Light


Texas River


Yosemite



Oh yea, training! This week was spent with some hard rehab time on both my bike and rower. This week I will ride the Tour of Dallas, a non-competitive tour around downtown Dallas and City side roads. Photos and a report next week. Until then, be healthy and Happy!