Sheryl Morley hasn't added a story.
Hi Everyone!
My name is Sheryl Morley. I am a mom, wife, social worker, marathoner, scout volunteer, and a patient with stiff person syndrome and mixed connective disorders.
After completing many races of all distances, 5k’s, 10k’s, half’s, challenges, my hubby and I decided to begin training for a full marathon. Being Disney lovers we decided to sign up for Disney’s first official Dopey Challenge in 2014. It was not meant to be. I began feeling ill in late 2013. It came out of nowhere! I was in the best shape of my life, happily married with two beautiful children, happy home, yet my health began to decline. I began to have flares that were MS/Stroke like. We deferred our Dopey challenge by one year per Disney’s rules.
I continued to try to train for a marathon despite being on a non stop rollercoaster of being so ill, I was bedridden for a week at a time, to pushing to bounce back to baseline in between.
I refused to quit and pushed on. In November of 2014, on our way down to Florida, with kids and Mom in tow, I completed the Philly marathon. A fellow running friend highly suggested I run a marathon prior to Disney as I would be heartbroken if I didn’t complete the marathon there. The Disney marathon was the only one I ever wanted to do. My bucket list item.
In January of 15, we had no choice but to attempt the Dopey challenge. Time was up, Disney would not make any changes in deferral, this despite documentation from my doctors. We either go try to do the races or forfeit a huge amount of money for Shawn and my registration.
We set out on the marathon course. My arm had come back and I was feeling positive. It was not meant to be. At mile 15 I began flaring, this time with a vengeance. By mile 18, my back was cramped and spasms were relentless. When I began to have tunnel vision I pulled myself off the course at mile 18. My husband went on but because he had been by my side he was swept at mile 22. He never got to finish his marathon. I was so very heartbroken, keeping him from completing his bucket list item of completing a marathon.
My health spiraled for the next two years. Countless doctors, continuous documentation of a beast that was taking my life away with little means to stop it. I had tried many med regimes, on and off of everything, at one point gaining 40lbs in 2 months due to meds.
Finally in March of 2017 we got answers. I was admitted to Rhode Island hospital during a horrible flare. It was there during 11 days of testing I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease called Stiff Person Syndrome. Similar to MS my antibodies are attacking but my brain stem instead of my spinal chord. Like MS, it’s progressive, incurable with a bleak outlook on future. I was initially diagnosed with a PERM variant, which gave me a prognosis of 5 or so years. We were devastated but we finally had a name for the beast.
I was able to gift my hubby with his bucket list race. In November of 2017, 8 months after being diagnosed, we completed the NYC marathon with Achilles International. It wasn’t pretty, and it took a terrible toll on my body but my husband was finally able to call himself a marathoner.
The campaigns are about sharing. Most people have no idea what life is like when you live with MS or what happens after you have a stroke. Isolation is often a bigger problem than the symptoms of the disease itself. With the campaigns we can share and educate people, because it can happen to all of us. When we create a movement where people simply show up for each other, it might get a bit ‘safer’ and less ‘scary’ to engage with each other. Some people share their experiences on their campaign, others share their funds to support the campaigns. It is not about asking for money, it is creating an opportunity for people to learn and show up with #generosity. Being generous resonates with who we are as humans. We understand generosity deeply and when you practice it, you feel so much better
PLEASE NOTE
- The campaigns are in USD $, and since to the pandemic the price increased from September onwards $2950 USD. This includes the Alinker, shipping, process and campaign fees and our #AlinkerFamily support.
- The campaigns are all or nothing, no credit cards are charged unless the campaign reaches its goal.
- As soon as the campaign reaches its goal, we ship an Alinker (from direct stock or you'll be placed in line, delivery 6-8 weeks).
- Campaigners do not handle money. On disability or welfare, you cannot handle money without being penalized, but you can receive an Alinker !
- When the campaign raises more than the goal, the campaigner can chose another campaign which we then make the donation to, paying it forward, or the balance will be placed in our Collective Campaign to help future campaigners.
- If you want to start a campaign and are outside Canada or the USA, write an email to stephanie@thealinker.com. We can potentially get a shipping quote to where you live, and include that in the campaign goal, though we like to keep shipping at a minimum, so we will not ship anywhere beyond $250 shipping costs.
Together we build a movement of kindness and generosity, because we all need it
Why do we facilitate crowdfunding on our site?
We believe that the Alinkers should be available for everybody, regardless of income and people who start a crowdfunding campaign here, will have access to a life changing Alinker. These crowdfunding campaigns are the first step to make Alinkers available for everybody. BE and the Alinker company are now putting their energy together to build a generous community around all the campaigners! The campaigners are people who allow others to show up generously, give them love!
Here is the Alinker segment as was aired on CBS Innovation Nation October 2019 - https://youtu.be/pk96VDkJ9NU
Why an Alinker?
Generally, medical devices are a technical solution for a body with a
problem.
The Alinker is designed for who we are, a whole human
being, who wants to live an active and engaged life. We are a human,
we have a body. Whether we miss a leg of have MS, it does not change
who we are.
Yet the world we live in, treats us as a body with a problem, which creates a social divide between people based on their body, based on what we have, not on who we are. Isolation and loneliness are more devastating than the disease itself. So we need to show up for each other, acknowledge each other and be present to who we are.
These campaigns are here to bridge the gap between a high quality custom Alinker, and the people who live at the receiving end of a 'sickcare' system that drives people into poverty.
So, show up, be radically generous, it is something we humans really
understand.
When you read each story in each campaign, pause and
imagine who that person is, and why they started the campaign, reach
out to them, let them know they are surrounded and seen, heard and not
alone. When we do that, we feel better and create a safer community
where we know we can show up for each other. It connects us with our
essence, we are radically generous creatures, we just got a little
lost in systems that are not designed for our wellness.
Alinkers change lives, here are a few people
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Who is the Alinker for?
The Alinker is for people who want to stay active, regardless of mobility challenges.
To operate and use the Alinker you must have the ability to:
- walk to some degree
- flex and extend your legs
- bear weight on one leg briefly while getting on and off the Alinker
- be consciously aware of your surroundings
- be aware of your ability and limitations
What is the Alinker?
The Alinker is an exceptionally cool, three-wheeled walking bike
for humans with mobility constraints. It’s not a medical device,
it’s a lifestyle tool, designed to enable users to lead active and
socially engaged lives — at eye level.
On the Alinker, users sit upright -- at eye level with standing
companions. Weight is supported by the seat with no stress on the
lower body, while handle bars provide additional support. Feet remain
on the ground, keeping users stable and safe.
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Together we'll make this work, in kindness and from the heart
Wishes
Highlights
See all activityActivity
Related fundraisers for our cause
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.