ENDURANCE HORSE RIDER WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TO COMPETE IN PAN AMERICAN ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexandra North and CV Butter Bea Set Sights on World Endurance Cup Team
CARMEL, CA (PRWEB) August 26, 2003 -
– The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project (MSQLP), whose mission is to serve multiple sclerosis patients in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties, today announced that endurance horse rider, multiple sclerosis patient and MSQLP spokeswoman, Alexandra North, will compete in the Pan American Endurance Championship (PAC 2003).
Held in Trout Lake, Washington on September 13, 2003, PAC 2003 is an elite, 100-mile ride over challenging and spectacular terrain that winds through the forests flanking Mt. Adams, a 12,276-foot volcano. Completion of the PAC 2003 with a satisfactory ranking is critical in order for Butter Bea and North to be considered for the USA Team going to the World Endurance Cup in December 2004, held in the United Arab Emirates.
Race officials will be present at PAC 2003 to monitor horses, riders and crew as part of the World Cup Team selection process. For more information about PAC 2003, visit http://www. endurance. net/2003pac/ (http://www. endurance. net/2003pac/).
“Butter Bea and I have our sights set on a spot racing with the USA World Cup Team, and I think we’ve got a good chance of making it,” said North. “Last year, Butter Bea finished in the top ten, 21 out of 27 races. At the end of the racing season, she ran six races in less than a month, and won five of those six races. After four years of intensive training, Butter Bea has become an endurance machine with a competitive spirit that can be crushing at times.”
North took up the sport of endurance riding in 1995, just a few months before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She is now in remission, which she credits to endurance riding. In the true spirit of determination, courage and grit, North and Butter Bea have never missed a race, even though North once had to be lifted into her saddle because she was experiencing severe symptoms.
To date, the formidable team have competed in 45 rides and logged over 2,500 miles. Their accomplishments include Best Condition, Swanton Pacific, 75 Miles; First Place, Ware Mare Award; First Place, West Region Overall; Easyboot Pioneer Award, Middleweight Division for Multi Day Events; First Place, West Region Middleweight Division; Sixth Place, National Mileage; XP Gold Medal for Multi Day Events; and Best Condition Overall, Bryce Canyon XP, 5 Days, 250 Miles.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects nerve function. Characterized by symptoms that vary in degree and intensity, multiple sclerosis is unpredictable, and leaves some of its victims wheelchair-bound or bedridden. A volunteer fundraiser for MSQLP, North encourages the community to sponsor her rides, either by mile, by event, or in lump sum. Tax-deductible contributions can be mailed to: MSQLP, P. O. Box 223537, Carmel, California 93922-3537. Funding will enable MSQLP to hire a critically needed medical social worker.
“Our multiple sclerosis population is spread over a wide, geographical area,” said Dr. Lotte Marcus, co-founder and president of MSQLP. “Clients are forced to cobble together treatment plans along an improvisational model - a model that is both costly and that drains folks of energy. Our hope is that, with the services of a medical social worker, this population will no longer feel like a medical orphan.”
Dr. Marcus and Alexandra North welcome opportunities to speak to the tri-County community about multiple sclerosis. Please contact Judy Plummer, at (831) 335-4937 or jplummer@cruzio. com to request an appearance.
About Alexandra North
An avid horsewoman since the age of eight, North started endurance riding in 1995, a few months before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In spite of unpredictable and sporadic symptoms, North continues to pursue her passion for riding because of the healing effects it provides. After learning about the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project (MSQLP), she now competes to raise funds for MSQLP. In 2002, North and her horse, Butter Bea, ranked sixth in the nation for miles raced.
Formerly with Dunlap, Slade, Lubow in Carmel, North launched her own CPA practice in 1999 so she would have more flexibility to participate in endurance rides. Prior to Dunlap, Slade, Lubow, North was with Maryanov Madsen Gordon & Campbell in Palm Springs. North holds a BA in Journalism from Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, and received her certificate in Financial Accounting from National University in San Diego.
About Dr. Lotte Marcus
Dr. Lotte Marcus, President and Chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Carmel, California, and was a lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Marcus has treated many clients with multiple sclerosis, and has worked with multiple sclerosis clients at the rehabilitation facility, Transitions, in Gilroy, California.
Dr. Marcus, with her husband Alan, is the author of “Reflections on the Culture, Politics and Psychology of Multiple Sclerosis,” as well as numerous publications on illness counseling. Under the auspices of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Multiple Sclerosis Community Services of Salinas, Dr. Marcus has made many presentations to multiple sclerosis to patients. She has also addressed physicians at the Community Hospital of the Monterey peninsula, at the University of California, San Francisco, and at Sutter Medical Center in Santa Rosa (formerly Santa Rosa Community hospital).
On June 12, 2003, Dr. Marcus received The Spirit Award, presented by the Freedom To Live Foundation in Los Angeles, in recognition of her services.
About the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project
The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Project (MSQLP), in cooperation with the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Corporation dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis and their families in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties.
Based on the results of a Needs Assessment Survey released by MSQLP in 2002, there is a need for integrated, client-centered, care management plans to ensure that multiple sclerosis patients arenÂ’t slipping through the cracks of the health care system. MSQLP is committed to fulfilling this need by hiring a medical social worker who will serve ambulatory and home-bound multiple sclerosis patients in the tri-County area to help them overcome the physical and/or emotional problems that have made life more difficult.
For more information about MSQLP or to volunteer your time and talent, call MSQLP at: 831-457-7786.Tax-deductible contributions can be mailed to: MSQLP, P. O. Box 223537, Carmel, CA 93922-3537.
EditorÂ’s Note: Endurance ride horses receive the very best of care, with regular breaks for food, water, rest and veterinary checks. Races are governed by the AERC, which has developed rules and strict controls to ensure the health and welfare of the horses competing in endurance rides.
