{"id":4464,"date":"2012-06-06T21:52:37","date_gmt":"2012-06-06T11:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=4464"},"modified":"2021-02-01T12:26:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T02:26:21","slug":"josies-making-a-marathon-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/06\/06\/josies-making-a-marathon-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Josie’s Making A Marathon Effort"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Kingaroy Cruisers … Cathy Goodhew, Josie Potter, Keith Parker and Glenda Smith, part of the team in training for Brissie To The Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 6, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twelve years ago Kingaroy woman\u00a0Josie Potter suddenly lost the use of her legs and her left arm. The symptoms grew worse over a period of just six hours. She couldn’t swallow and she lost her eyesight …<\/p>\n

At first, she was told her she had suffered a stroke but her doctor didn’t believe the diagnosis and Josie was sent away for more tests. When these came back, she learned she had multiple sclerosis (MS).<\/p>\n

MS is truly a “mystery syndrome”. It’s a disease of the central nervous system but no one really knows what causes it. Symptoms vary from person to person, and from time to time in the same person.<\/p>\n

Josie had no family history of the disease (patients rarely do), and had been perfectly healthy up to that point. However she fitted two of the most common criteria: she was aged in her early 30s, and she was a woman.<\/p>\n

Fortunately she recovered from that initial attack and is now in the “relapsing remitting” stage of the illness; but the disease is progressive and there is no known cure … yet.<\/p>\n

But Josie has not allowed MS to slow her down.<\/p>\n

In fact, Josie and her “Kingaroy Cruisers” team of 15 riders are in training for a 25km pushbike marathon, part of the Brissie to the Bay<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0fundraiser for MS which will be held in Brisbane on Sunday, June 24.<\/p>\n

Not bad for a woman who couldn’t walk in September 2000!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brissie to the Bay consists of four different courses, a 10km, 25km, 50km and 100km ride, all starting at Musgrave Park.<\/p>\n

This is the second year that the Kingaroy Cruisers have taken taken part. Some of the others riders have also been touched with MS; one has a cousin with the disease, and another’s mother has just been diagnosed. Others are just doing it to support Josie and help a good cause.<\/p>\n

Last year Josie rode the 10km course; this time around she’s pushed that out to 25km, and she hasn’t written off the idea that next year, she’ll try for the 50km course.<\/p>\n

She finds the training has been helping her.<\/p>\n

“The riding has helped me overcome my mobility issues a great deal and has also assisted with other health issues,” Josie said.<\/p>\n

Brissie to the Bay is expected to attract more than 4500 entrants this year; a long journey from its humble beginnings in 1991 when it had just 80 riders. And the organisers hope to raise $700,000 to help people living with MS.<\/p>\n

Last year Josie raised an amazing $4500 for the event, however this year, her fund-raising – and training – have been seriously affected by her illness.<\/p>\n

She started training at Christmas but in March had surgery for an MS-related problem and was out of action, and off the bike, for six weeks.<\/p>\n

But she’s back in the saddle now and eager to go!<\/p>\n