2015-06-14 - OH - Day 18 - Cleveland

The rest day at Cleveland was much needed after ten straight days of riding. We stopped by the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center to visit the largest MS clinic in the country. Mary Willis, a neurologist who works there, walked us around, showing us the various rooms and what they are used for. She also answered a lot of our questions. Half the patients they see are people newly diagnosed with MS. Also, half of their patients come from surrounding states, with a large number especially from West Virginia which does not have a dedicated MS clinic. The entire building is set up in such a way that patients can get all the care and mental and physical therapy they need without having to go to another building. It is also set up with a mind towards encouraging people to lead normal or near-normal lives because MS is usually manageable. Bethany, a physical therapist from another clinic, accompanied us around as well (with her daughter). Both she and Mary were very friendly and very grateful for the $10000 check we gave the clinic.

It was a very productive day for me. Other than the clinic visit, I napped, put two days' posts up on my website, pasted more website labels on my personal card, worked on a secret project for two hours, and ordered a new digital camera, SD card, and sun glove. I also read and finished the third book of the Wayward Pines Trilogy before going to sleep. In the book, the last humans on earth, running out of food, decide to go to sleep for 70,000 years in hope of waking to better conditions.