For the past three years, Sandy Hook resident Gavin Arneth has watched his hero slowly lose his battle to a progressive disease. But, not one to leave anyone without a helping hand, Gavin searched for a way to help his father, a Navy veteran, former marathoner and childhood baseball coach, fight back against an enemy that was steadily stealing more and more of his mobility. He will exercise one option this weekend, when he participates in the Bike MS Praxair Off The Chain Ride.

Paul Arneth, who embarked on a career as an airline pilot after serving as a Navy carrier pilot in the Vietnam War, said he noticed something was wrong six years ago.

"It all started in 2010 with numbness in my left hand and in the balls of my feet," said Paul who, along with wife Liz, is a former longtime Newtown resident. The Arneths moved way from Newtown just within the past few years, but maintain generations of friends and continue to be active in local groups.

"I went to a neurologist, who identified lesions in my brain and spinal column," said Paul. "While he had some suspicions as to what it could be, my age and gender made it highly unlikely and he wanted to get other professionals involved."

More tests and opinions confirmed what the doctor suspected: Paul Arneth had developed multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease, at the age of 70.

"I've learned that multiple sclerosis occurs three times as often in women than in men, and usually is diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50," said Paul. "So to be a 70-year-old man who had never had a symptom before and then present with five lesions was highly unusual."

More than 6,500 Connecticut residents, like Paul Arneth, have identified themselves as living with MS with the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter. The cause of MS is unknown and there is currently no cure. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.

"You could say that I was fortunate to have developed this debilitating disease so late in life," shared Paul, now 77. "I had a full career and retired from the airlines at the mandatory age of 60. And up until a few years ago, I was still walking 18 holes of golf when most of my contemporaries favored using a golf cart to make their way through the course."

Not only had Paul developed MS, but within a few years doctor's adjusted his diagnosis to reflect a progressive form of the disease, which results in higher levels of disability more quickly.

"A few years after my diagnosis I went from running every day, to using a walker and then a power wheelchair," said Paul. "I still swim and see a physical therapist regularly, but my MS has really impacted my legs. The VA helped me learn to use hand controls to drive and even assisted me in getting a van with a lift in the back for my wheelchair to help me stay as active as I can."

Feeling like he needed to help his father in this ongoing battle, Gavin recently found a way to help pair his passion for cycling with his desire to help the National MS Society find a cure for multiple sclerosis. He signed up for the organization's June 12 Bike MS Ride.

 

A Natural Fit

"I was attending a tasting event hosted by the Society's Connecticut Chapter last fall and learned about its Bike MS event," shared Gavin. "I've been cycling for about five years now, so it was a natural fit for me to register."

While Gavin has participated in other charity bike rides in Connecticut, this will be the first time he attempts a century route - cycling 100 miles in dedication of his father's ongoing battle against MS.

"Completing a century ride is the goal of any serious cyclist, and has been a personal goal for a few years," said Gavin. "Riding for my dad was the extra push I needed to make it happen. I started training as soon as I heard about the ride last fall, but I didn't share my involvement with my father until I was signed up and ready to go."

Gavin shared his goal to complete the 100-mile route with his father through an email, which included a link to Gavin's fundraising page, on which he had dedicated his ride to his father.

"Of course I became emotional when I read what my son had written," said Paul. "I was so touched that I quickly wrote my own email and sent it to all of my friends, showing them what Gavin was doing and asking them to kick in a small amount if they could to help Gavin raise the $250 he set as a goal."

Responses started flowing in and to date, Gavin has raised more than ten times his initial goal for his Bike MS Ride. As of June 9, his fundraising site shows that he had raised $2,385, or what MS Bike organizers called as "1134%" of his goal.

With the clock ticking, over Memorial Day weekend, Gavin went on one of his final pre-June 12 training rides - a distance of 80 miles - in preparation for Bike MS this weekend.

"I'm thankful that I'll be riding with my friend, Mark Lurie, who has been a training partner for the past couple of years and has done a century ride before," said Gavin, a senior vice president at People's United Bank in Fairfield. "And the route will actually loop through Sandy Hook and take cyclists through the center of our hometown, which we're taking advantage of."

On Sunday, Gavin's parents, aunts and uncles, and many other supporters are planning to cheer Gavin on as he rides into town and stops at Village Perk Café, on Glen Road in Sandy Hook.

"I'll be using a GPS tracker that will send updates right to my father's cellphone so he'll be able to follow my progress along the route and know exactly when I'll be swinging through Newtown," said Gavin. "At that point, I should be at about the 75-mile mark, and seeing my father will give me that surge of motivation I need to finish strong, for all people living with MS."

Upon completing the ride, Gavin and all the other Bike MS cyclists will cross the finish line at Cranbury Park in Norwalk and be welcomed with a cold brew from Thimble Island Brewing Company, some hot barbecue from Danny's Little Taste of Texas, and a rejuvenating massage.

Last year, Bike MS attracted more than 500 cyclists and raised $518,000 for the National Multiple Society, Connecticut Chapter. Funds raised by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, through events such as Bike MS, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, as well as help to provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter to those in the state living with multiple sclerosis.

"On one side, my dad was fortunate to have had a full career, but he also was just entering the best years of his retirement," said Gavin. "He had plans to take each of his four grandchildren anywhere in the world they wanted to go for their 16th birthdays. He can't uphold that promise any longer because of his MS and I need to do what I can to stop that from happening to anyone else."

Gavin also shared that he and his brother have even thought about what having a father with MS could mean for their own health, wondering if someday they, too, could develop multiple sclerosis. In that sense, Gavin is determined to engage in the fight early, and keep at it.

"This is my first year participating in Bike MS, but I hope that I can make this an annual event and develop a team to ride with me," he said. "This disease isn't going anywhere soon, but my dad isn't giving up and neither can I."

"It has been very difficult for me and my family to see our strong father go from being an active 65-year-old runner to using a wheelchair because of this disabling disease," said Gavin. "Watching how much MS has impacted his life has been very motivating. I want to be a part of finding a cure for my dad."

For more information on the 2016 Bike MS: Praxair off the Chain Ride, presented by Griffin Industrial Realty and Louis Dreyfus Company,  visit ctfightsMS.org. Click here to donate to Mark Lurie,here to donate to Gavin Arneth or