Trevor Bayne diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; cleared to drive

CONCORD, N.C. — Roush Fenway Racing driver Trevor Bayne, who won the 2011 Daytona 500 and then missed part of that season because of fatigue and double vision, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Bayne, who drives full time in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing and part time in Cup for Wood Brothers Racing, has been cleared by doctors to continue racing, and the 22-year-old is still slated to run for the Nationwide title next year in a Roush car sponsored by AdvoCare. “I’ve never been more driven to compete,” said Bayne, who is sixth in the 2013 Nationwide standings heading into the season finale this weekend. “My goals are the same as they’ve been since I started racing. I want to compete at the highest level and I want to win races and championships. I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in and I feel good. “There are currently no symptoms and I’m committed to continuing to take the best care of my body as possible." In 2011, Bayne missed five weeks of racing after experiencing fatigue, numbness and double vision. It was initially thought to be complications from an insect bite or Lyme disease. At the time, tests appeared to be inconclusive. Bayne’s younger sister also has multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system that can lead to the loss of mobility, numbness and blindness. Bayne, who said he has had no symptoms since June 2011, has undergone extensive testing at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota because he wanted to have a diagnosis, which he finally received in June shortly after winning the Nationwide Series race at Iowa. “There could have been local Lyme’s on my elbow and that’s why at the time we were like, ‘That’s what it is,' and it was an easy thing because I did have the rash on my arm from a bug bite," Bayne said. "I don’t know if the two are connected. I’m not a doctor and I wouldn’t want to make that call, but they wanted to do more research because I wasn’t satisfied with not knowing, so as a competitive person and as a racer you guys know how we work. "We want to know how everything works and causes and effects, so I just kept going back for checkups and this is what it has led to.” na (AP Photo) Once he got the diagnosis, Bayne said he took a while to comprehend the situation and decided this was the time to go public with it so he can talk freely about it when he speaks to groups. "I think anybody that gets a diagnosis is going to sit back and think about it," Bayne said. "What does this mean? What does it mean to my family? What does it mean to me and my partners? Our team. "The more and more I thought about it and the more and more I realized that I was fine, the more and more it sunk in that everything is going to be OK.” Bayne is not taking any medication and hopes that a healthy diet and lifestyle will keep symptoms from returning. He said he did not believe the disease nor the medical testing has impacted his performance this year. “My hope is not to ever have symptoms again," Bayne said. "Obviously, there are people who have gone with completely normal lives with MS and I hope to be one of those people. Nobody knows exactly what the future holds for anybody, but, for me, I trust that whatever God has planned for me is what’s best for my life. "I’d love to be healed. That would be perfect if that’s what He plans for, but, if not, then we’ll move on day by day." Roush Fenway Racing President Steve Newmark said that Bayne's health has not been an issue when courting sponsors, and AdvoCare has no issues with having Bayne — the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500 as he won it the day after his 20th birthday — being its driver. “We are 100 percent supportive of Trevor and his ability to compete in a race car,” said Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush. “I have full confidence in Trevor and his partners have all expressed that same confidence and support. “As with all of our drivers, we look forward to standing behind Trevor and providing him with all of the tools he needs as he continues to develop in his young career.” copied from

UPDATED: Biogen sees 'unlikely' link between Tecfidera and patient's demise

Biogen Idec ($BIIB) had a bumpy day on Wall Street Monday. A report from BioPharm Insight noted that a patient who had taken Biogen's new multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera had died, prompting a quick drop of about 3% in the biotech group's stock price, which recovered to about even later in the day.
A Biogen spokeswoman told Reuters that the death of the 59-year-old woman occurred two weeks after she stopped taking Tecfidera because of gastrointestinal problems. The MS patient had suffered from a form of pneumonia prior to her death. The news service reported that the death was unrelated to the GI problems, and the company said that it is "unlikely" that Tecfidera caused the fatal case.
The drama underscores the high visibility of Tecfidera, for which analysts have projected eventual peak sales of more than $3 billion. As long as the safety profile of the therapy remains within an acceptable range, Tecfidera could become the best-selling drug in the growing class of oral MS drugs, which includes such meds as Aubagio from Sanofi ($SNY) and Novartis' ($NVS) Gilenya.


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Author JK Rowling Contributes to the MS Cause

The question of how much – if anything – any of us living with multiple sclerosis is obligated to do for the cause is one of personal willingness.  When famous people get MS, many of us change our tune and simply expect that they will give of their time, money and talent for the cause.  I’ve always said that such a gift would be great but it’s none of my business.

Now we take someone who is one – albeit a small ‘one’ – degree of separation from the disease, I’d say that any expectation of requirement or obligation is just chucked out the window.

That’s why I think that the new Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh, conceived and funded by Harry Potter author, JK Rowling – daughter of Anne, whodied from complications of MS at age 45 – is noteworthy.

When her £10,000,000 donation turned into a royally attended opening (in the quite Royal sense of the word as Ann, HRH The Princess Royal), Ms. Rowling didn’t give a flowery speech or make it about her in any way.  She applauded the unveiling, she was thanked by a number of dignitaries and researchers and, well there was a PRINCESS at the thing!

Her simple statement that was given to press said that she was “elated to see the clinic formally open.” And that had “watched the clinic from the planning stages to being fully built and now ready to open” and how very proud she was of it, and to see her mother’s name on the clinic.

Some in the MS community grumbled when Rowling wasn’t living up to their hopes when word first reached us that the author had a connection to MS.  As sales of the Potter books reached as high as a hippogriff can fly, more people began to assert that it was her “responsibility” to do more, say more and to be more for our cause.  I think those voices can now be silenced.

The Anne Rowling Clinic is slated to delve deeply into the cause of progression and the ways to slow this disease.  Prof Siddharthan Chandran, professor of neurology and co-director of the clinic, may have said it best in his opening remarks; “Only by better understanding the biological processes behind these devastating diseases can we identify new targets for potential therapies and take them into clinical trials.”

Knowledge is power and, as the character of Arthur Weasley, in Rowling’s books once said, “Truth will out!”

I say, ‘thank you’ once again to JK Rowling for doing more than her fair share and doing so in grand, yet humble fashion.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis

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