Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Mule team drives for Multiple Sclerosis awareness

Pilar Armstrong El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

John McComsey is on a mission.

Led by a pair of mules and flanked by his trusty blue heeler, McComsey is making his way from Henry, Tenn., to Phoenix to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis.

McComsey and his mules arrived in Socorro on Friday, June 12 — more than two-thirds of the way to his final destination.

McComsey's interest in MS was spurred by his niece, Dee McComsey, who was diagnosed with the disease three years ago.

Dee is doing well and is currently managing the disease without medications, he said. While awareness is the impetus for the sojourn, seeing the county is a big reason McComsey is making the trip.

"I have planned this trip around my retirement, while I still have my health," McComsey wrote on his Web site, www.twomulesandawagon.com. "I have thought about making this trip for a long time. This is my dream and now it's coming true.

"I think this is the best way to see America," he continued. "I am going slow enough to see what she has to offer."

To date, McComsey's western journey has taken him through Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico. Logging an average of 20 miles a day, McComsey is on course to arrive at his final destination in time for Independence Day.

On his Web site McComsey writes that he purchased his first wagon in 1994 along with a team of Molly (female) mules. His first trip was from Boaz to Montgomery, Ala. The 165-mile trip took a total of eight days. His current team consists of two 4-year-old horse mules named Mack and Jack. The mules stand at approximately 16 or 17 hands high. McComsey makes sure that his mules get enough food and water as well as ample rest. His blue heeler, Britt, also keeps him company on the rides.

McComsey is partially funding his trip through private donations.

"Any donation for feed is appreciated. Only, I don't like to have too much cash on me while being on the road," he said.

MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system. According to the National MS Society's Web site (www.nationalmssociety.org), people with MS suffer from a variety of ailments that can include a mild numbness of the limbs to paralysis or vision loss.

MS differs from Muscular Dystrophy in that MD causes a progressive irreversible wasting of muscle tissue, whereas MS only affects the central nervous system. Fortunately, people with MS are able to have a normal life expectancy. The Web site also states that there are FDA-approved medications that can slow down the underlying course of MS.

parmstrong@dchieftain.com

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