More Than Our Story
Stephen Glaus
Stephen candidly shares his remarkable story of pure grit and determination, how he battles multiple sclerosis, his role as husband and father, and his passion for fitness that has led him to being a three time IRONMAN.
Highlights
Getting the chance to integrate my passion for sports, for fitness, with MS and finding a way to to give back is just an incredible thing to be a part of it.
It's actually one of the biggest struggles that I have with my MS diagnosis. There's so many people who now see my story. They see this big, strong guy, this guy who’s up on stage teaching these classes, but it’s what they didn’t see… where I started…being bedridden, wetting the bed every night, not being able to see, losing my vision and being told by doctors I would probably never walk again.
I just couldn't walk anymore. I was just laying on the pavement and I ended up just crawling, just using my forearms to get me the rest of the way to my house and made it inside and just started bawling my eyes out… It was very difficult to go from being a U.S. military veteran who went to Iraq and Afghanistan, strong and healthy and starting out on this new career, to crawling on the pavement, barely able to help myself.
MS is like this lurking monster that you're trying to tame and keep away, keep tethered down.
The rug can be pulled out from underneath you, whether it's a MS diagnosis, a brain tumor, cancer diagnosis, car accident or some unforeseen tragedy. Any time, in any moment our lives, we can face unforeseen challenges. It's how we deal with that, how we rise up to the challenge that determines our character, determines what kind of person we're going to be and the impact we can make on the world. Because it's always those underdog stories that people really latch on to and get excited about.
What I can do with my story, what any of us can do with our story [is] inspire our neighbor, somebody in your community, whoever it is, you can inspire them to become a better version of themselves. That's what motivates me to continue going on.
If I could just help one person, that's going to make a huge difference.
I [try to] see MS not necessarily something that's trying to destroy me or defeat me, but as a coach, that's trying to teach me things.
MS is teaching me so many things… it's teaching me to just be focused on the present, be focused on what I can do as opposed to what I can't.
Ultimately that is the biggest thing people strive to recognize with their own lives is that attitude of gratitude. Just being thankful for the present moment, being thankful for the people in your life, being thankful for the opportunities you have today.
Over the past year, I've actually gotten off of my treatment completely. At this point I'm relying on my faith, my nutrition, my diet and fitness to carry me through. Perhaps that's foolish, but it's what's working for me.
Nutrition is paramount. It's become such a such huge factor in my life. And I've been doing it for so long that it kind of actually just runs in the background, like an autonomous function. My diet is gluten free, it's vegan, it's soy free, it's sugar free, it's caffeine free. And I also follow a diet that's low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols).
It's one of the beautiful things about the IRONMAN race itself, it's almost like a metaphor for life in some ways, especially when I look at like the spiritual aspects of it, fighting the good fight, finishing the race regardless of the struggles and the setbacks. Because in every single race there's a lot of them.
As long as I keep moving, I am confident that at least I have a chance to see that finish line.
[Happy Valley IRONMAN] it’s the race I'm the most proud of, because it got me so close to God and my faith and my reliance on him. And it also proved to me that I can overcome great things. I can overcome great challenges and it motivates me to want to share that with other people.
I feel like my story's still being written… I want my greatest accomplishment to be the legacy I leave for my children, the relationship that I build with my wife, and ultimately the relationship that I have with God.
Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis (MS 4 MS)
Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis (MS4MS) is a registered 501(c)(3) sports and entertainment focused non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness of MS at all stadiums while raising funds directly for families with MS Warriors and for the advancement of research at the Johns Hopkins Project Restore MS Research Center in hopes of finding a cure.
Daniel
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