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(NAPSI)-Drag racing was a lifelong dream for businessman Robert Burgin, who fell in love with the wheel-standing muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. However Burgin's dreams of racing were nearly destroyed when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 36.
Showing no visible symptoms, Burgin left his MS untreated and continued living as if nothing had changed. It wasn't until three years after his diagnosis that Burgin had a change of heart.
"I wanted to race since I was a little boy, but there was never a good time to start," says Burgin. "Only after a sudden death in the family did it hit me-it was now or never."
For several years, Burgin raced locally to earn his license to compete at a higher level. In 2000, his first year in Super Stock, he ranked 51st in national points out of more than 800 drivers.
Burgin returned in 2001 at the top of his game, but as the season progressed so did the symptoms of his MS, which remained untreated. That May, Burgin developed a noticeable limp on his right side. A few months later, he experienced vertigo, severe nausea and tingling in the back of his neck while competing at a race in Columbus, OH.
"That's when I realized that I needed help," says Burgin. "I needed to get my MS symptoms under control."
Burgin took his first steps toward fighting MS and regaining control with physical therapy and weekly injections of Avonex® (Interferon beta-1a), a treatment proven to slow the progression of the physical disability caused by MS.
Today, Burgin continues to compete in NHRA Super Stock drag racing and travels the country speaking to patients about his experiences living and racing with MS.
"I hope that through racing I can inspire other MS patients to pursue their dreams despite this disease."
To learn more about MS or Burgin's story, or to find out if Burgin will be speaking in your town, visit www.MSActiveSource.com. For full prescribing information on Avonex®, visit www.Avonex.com.
A Racing Dream-MS didn't stand in the way of one sportsman drag racer.