Why Firefighters Are Important in the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy

Yesterday I talked to a good group of fire students at the Justice Institute about Muscular Dystrophy and how firefighters are important in the fight against Muscular Dystrophy. If you have time please visit the link below the picture.

Thank You, Stephen Rysen

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0SkdGDzjHEVbzdDT3JyQk0yRUk/view?usp=sharing

Salute the Troops

Tomorrow we remember the soldiers who did not come home, got injured in combat, the veterans and the heroes who fought for Canada, US, Britain and Allied Nations. They are all fighting for one goal, Freedom! Hats off to the Men and Women of the Canadian Armed Forces and their Allies! Thank You for Your Service, Stephen Rysen

Canadian Remembrance Day Message

Hello Canadians and American neighbors,
I am a proud Canadian and proud to be an ally to the United States. We're lucky to live in a country that is well protected by the Canadian Armed Forces and to have support from the United States. But we have lost soldiers and allies in wars to protect us and allow us to live in a democracy that is here to help Canadians live life without worrying about countries taking Canada away from us. No matter what, we should always support Canadian soldiers and their allied soldiers. We should be thankful that there are soldiers that have sacrificed their time or life to stand by their country to protect rights and freedoms we deserve to keep. This allows us to enjoy sports, entertainment, culture and enjoying the outdoors. Tomorrow Canadians should take time to salute the soldiers who have sacrificed their time or life for Canada. Thanks again to the Canadian soldiers and American allies for making this possible.
Thank you, Stephen Rysen

2014 Muscular Dystrophy Walk Fundraising Campaign

Hello everyone, I am Stephen Rysen and I am a 31-year-old living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and a huge supporter of first responders. I got diagnosed at the age of five. The symptoms that caused concern was that I had problems climbing out of boxes if I sat in one, walking, climbing stairs and inability to ride a bicycle. I needed steroids, ankle foot orthotics, leg braces for standing and eventually a wheelchair. I stopped walking around the age of nine and eventually at the age of 11 with leg braces although those were meant for standing. I also had to get back surgery because of scoliosis which was pretty bad because I had a L-shaped spinal cord. My feet were operated on to allow me to wear shoes without wearing ankle foot orthotics. I have had 2 power wheelchairs and I am in my third power wheelchair. I have lived on heart medication since 2000. I was on the medication because there was deterioration in the heart. Luckily the pills I am taking decreased the deterioration by 50% and because of my aggressive doctor. I have been on the BiPAP machine for ventilation since 2003 for sleeping or lying in bed. Since 2011 I have a daytime ventilator that I am using right now. I have had no deterioration of my lungs because of respirators and ventilators. I also do breathing exercises by getting pumped up by a medical bag to give me a stacked breath to breathe out a big volume of air or cough out and I also do it without the medical bag the caregivers use by inhaling small breaths to give me a bigger breath just like the medical bag. I can also do it with the machines too. It is pretty tough but I got positive mental toughness. But 2007 I got some devastating news, lost a close friend with the same condition I have. It was still bugging me until I had the idea to increase awareness and build rapport with firefighters by visiting them while they were fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy. It boosted morale, the firefighters said it's good to see people in wheelchairs out in the community and it provided me a chance to recover from the tragedy. One firefighter gave me back my positive mental toughness that I lost from the tragedy. The firefighter said that I looked healthy aside from having the disability, said we are here for you, we are not giving up and we are happy to help. The tradition of firefighters helping people with muscular dystrophy is a great partnership that has provided strength for people fighting muscular dystrophy. It is kind of like saving a life as a firefighter. Firefighting is a tough job but fundraising for muscular dystrophy can help deal with the stresses firefighting deals with by giving positive energy to deal with tough situations. I also support firefighters through social media and have also garnered support from firefighters from Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ontario, Western Canada and Georgia and other places in North America. My parents were in law enforcement and are pretty fortunate that their fellow first responders from the fire department have been helping people with muscular dystrophy for 60 years. Thank you for reading this story and if you would like to donate please visit this page http://muscle.akaraisin.com/Pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=8347&pid=1653575&mid=9 

Thank you and all the best, Stephen Rysen

Remembrance Day Canada and Veterans Day USA

Canada and USA have selfless people who fight to keep democracy. If we did not have these selfless troops we would not have democracy, human rights and have a hard time handling terrorism. It is important we remember why we have to always be thankful for the Armed Forces. Canada had people ready to go to Afghanistan to represent Canada in assisting their USA neighbors after the terrorist attacks. That follows the footsteps of Canadian soldiers who represented Canada to assist their allies in Europe to prevent Nazi ruled Germany from taking over Europe. Dutch people are thankful for Canada and USA troops in World War II. Today is not about politics but to be thankful for soldiers assistance to protect democracy and protecting Canada and the USA. I salute the Armed Forces for their selfless service.
As a Proud Canadian and Ally to the USA, thank you very much, Steve

Week 2 NFL predictions

Patriots, Falcons, Ravens, Bills, Bears, Packers, Texans, Colts, Chiefs, Eagles, Lions, Saints, Broncos, Raiders, Seahawks, Bengals

it is that time again for week one NFL picks:
Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins