In 2010 I was diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a incurable disease
which
degenerates the central nervous system. Although MS is not a terminal disease, it
progressively degenerates the ability to control muscle functions, resulting in mobility
challenges
and ultimately, a reliance on a wheelchair. While MS is presently incurable, there are medications which can
retard the disease. I began taking those medications every month for next three
years.
Aqua therapy was also recommended and I immediately observed that many of the exercises were the
same motions that I used as a commercial shellfisherman in the 80s and 90s. So, from May to
November, I returned to commercial shellfishing in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Being outside, on
and in the water, allowing my body to use muscle memory, prevented the depression that
accompanied the thought of spending the winter months inside, staring out at nature.
In my life, after serving five years in United States Air Force, I spent most four decades
outside, for work and for relaxation. Being in nature has always brought me a sense of
serenity. Fast forward to 2017, my left side was still declining; My left leg and arm were
getting weaker and it was increasingly difficult to get in and out of small skiffs. However I
was determined that my disability would not stop me from being on the water, the place that had
brought so many psychological, emotional, financial and physical benefits to my life. My
solution was to buy a 26' pontoon boat. With a few modifications I knew that, even if my nervous
system declined to the point where I was in a wheelchair, I could still use this boat and feel
the serenity that I felt while being on the water, catching a fish or watching the birds
catch fish.
That same year a friend of mine suffered a stroke. When I went to visit, depression lay upon her
like a shroud. Her situation was the inspiration I needed and the idea of Sharing Serenity was
born.
To comfort her I told her of how I had adapted my pontoon boat to be wheelchair accessible and
that she too would be able to enjoy being on the water; to fish, to feel the motion of the waves
and wind, to watch the the birds soar and dive into the water. As I watched her cry in joy, the
cloud of depression dissipating, I was inspired to create Sharing Serenity so that
others could enjoy the freedom and peace of being on the water.
