150-mile bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis support begins Saturday

AUSTIN, Texas - The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will hold the Texas MS-150, a two-day fundraising bike ride that spans 150 miles across our state, starting on Saturday. 

There are starting lines in both Austin and Houston, and riders are coming from all over our state to participate. The race ends in College Station. 

Dr. Lisa Doggett is one of the riders that will take off from the State Capitol early Saturday morning. She and her mother Libby will tackle 70 miles one day and 80 miles the next.

The physician was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009 — this is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the neurons this leads to mobility problems, cognitive dysfunction, numbness and trouble seeing. 

Dr. Doggett has had three relapses since her diagnosis — but has been relapse free since 2017 — thanks to medication that was developed with the money raised by this very fundraiser. 

She still lives with symptoms today. 

One of the reasons this fundraiser is so important to her is because of her work in a clinic for people without insurance. 

It was then that she observed the contrast in care and the speed at which she was diagnosed with MS. 

"That's something I always keep in mind when I’m riding, when I'm going to see my doctor," Dr. Doggett said. "It’s just there are a lot of people out there that don't have the resources and don't have the support that they need. That's that's a huge concern and that's something the National MS Society tries to mitigate through a variety of programs. But it continues to be a major issue with the challenges in our health care system." 

Their team is sponsored by Tacodeli. Team Tacodeli has raised over $2 million alone. 

For more info, click here.