August 3, 2012 at 4:04 p.m.
Fighting against the current
MS patient among Rhinelander group partaking in Lake Superior swim
Fighting against the current
Brian Stewart has multiple sclerosis (MS), but the disease is not stopping him for partaking in the Point to LaPointe Swim, a 2.1-mile swim across Lake Superior from Bayfield to LaPointe on Madeline Island.
"I'm doing it in the name of MS, for everyone around the globe that thinks its a death sentence or thinks they have to stop doing something," Stewart, who is partaking in the non-competitive community division of the race, told the River News this week. "They don't. They can increase their distance. They can do whatever they want to do as long as they do it correctly. This is a really good example of that."
Stewart will be joined by several able-bodied swimmers from Rhinelander, including YMCA of the Northwoods Aquatics Director Melissa Nieman, who said Stewart's story is inspirational.
"It hard enough for me being a competitive swimmer my whole life swimming 2.1 miles, but to do it with MS, it's just amazing to see what he's accomplishing with his disabilities," she said. "It's very encouraging and pushes the rest of us."
Stewart has relapse-remitting MS, a disease that attacks a person's central nervous system. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a relapse-remitting MS patient typically has an attack, or exacerbation, of worsening neurological function, followed by a period of remission.
Stewart said he experienced his first exacerbation in January 1991, when he felt numbness in his lower legs, but went symptom-free for another 13 years. It was not until he suffered a stronger attack in 2004 that he was officially diagnosed with MS.
"In April of 2004, I went numb from the neck down in the same manner and I knew something was out of whack and it wasn't going away," he said. "After about 10 days I went to the hospital and about three days later, they said, 'You have MS.'"
Stewart was an avid cyclist prior to the diagnosis, but balancing on a bicycle soon became a challenge. Now he spends several hours a day on a recumbent tricycle.
Stewart is able to cope with the disease and stay active thanks to a cocktail of medications including a weekly shot that slows the symptoms of the disease, a potassium-blocker that limits muscle fatigue and other drugs and vitamins.
Stewart said the medicines allow him to exert himself for an extended period of time, as long as he spends the hours preceeding and following the exercise in a restful state.
He began training for this swim earlier this year by doing laps in the YMCA pool. He built his endurance to the point where he could tackle the one-mile Minocqua Swim Challenge in June, completing the race in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 29 seconds. Three weeks ago, he logged 2.7 miles in one session at the YMCA before tapering back his training regiment to prepare for today's swim.
"Everyday, no matter what, I always think of pushing yourself beyond you limits in everything you do. That's my main focus," he said.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group has done its own training.
"Most of us are year-round swimmers," Nieman said. "But we've been probably pushing it a little bit harder in the past three months. As soon as the water opened up, most of us were out swimming in the lakes with our wetsuits.
"I've done a few rounds in Buck Lake and I swam competitively at the Minocqua Swim Challenge. I've been swimming outside, getting used to the elements and the murky water."
The elements will pose a challenge, especially today with a forecast of rain and gusty winds in the Bayfield area.
"Some of the things you encounter in Lake Superior, you have a little bit of a current," said Nieman, who is swimming in her first Point to LaPointe race. "You have a lot of waves. It could be white-cappy, murky. The thing that gets me the most is that you're competing against 300 people and you're all starting at the same time. The start is really intense. You have to really push out ahead so you don't get run over."
It is also the first Point to LaPointe swim for Stewart.
"I haven't got any idea what to expect," he said. "I have never swam that far on an open water course. I don't know what to expect, but I know when I get to the other side, I'm not going to be able to walk (because of muscle fatigue)."
The goals for today's race are much different for Nieman and Stewart. Nieman has a goal time in her mind as she competes in the competitive division.
"I'm hoping to get it done in about an hour," she said. "I'm really hoping to swim in an hour, but it sounds like the weather is going to be against us. It might take a little bit more than an hour, but I'm really hoping for an hour."
For Stewart - who acknowledges the affects of MS will eventually prevent him from continuing this level of activity - the goal is much different.
"When you're diagnosed, you don't know what to expect," he said. "You don't know what you are going to be capable of. This is a good example of what you can do with MS, 20 years later. It's not a death sentence. You don't have to stop anything."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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