This is why we ride
The first thought that crossed David Galea's mind when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2008 at the age of 40, was of Australia's "Golden Girl' Betty Cuthbert, a once great Olympic athlete who, now using a wheelchair, also lives with the effects of MS.
A competitive cyclist in summer and a footballer in winter, David and his wife were stunned when they were given the news he had MS. Looking back, he now knows he had been experiencing MS symptoms for four years prior to his diagnosis.
After diagnosis David decided, "My MS is not going to get the better of me. I am going to kick its butt!" David and his son commenced training and, at the end of 2008, together this father and son cycled 90km to Wollongong in the Sydney to the Gong Bike Ride for MS. David admits his wife and kids are his backbone.
He is grateful for the help he has received from MS Australia since his diagnosis. "The health professionals on the MS Connect telephone line were the first people I turned to for information and they helped," he says. "I want to give something back to MS Australia and the more people I can touch and inspire with my story the better."
