Les Green of Bozeman is married, has a daughter in college, works every day and, each year, spends five or six days on his snowmobile, traveling 70 to 100 miles per day with the name of the drug "Copaxone" printed on his coat and helmet.
Green takes Copaxone to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a disease he was diagnosed with 16 years ago that affects the way he walks and can send a numbness through his limbs.
But it hasn't affected his love of snowmobiling.
And it certainly hasn't affected his annual participation in the TransMontana Snowmobile Charity Ride, during which he raises as much as $50,000 to help other people with MS.
"MS shouldn't affect your lifestyle," said Green, a soft-spoken man. "People can decide whether they want to be healthy and exercise, and then they do it."
Just last week, Green and others at a National Multiple Sclerosis Society meeting at the Bozeman Public Library began planning a fundraising walk to be held May 15 in Bozeman. Walks and other events, including many different sports, are a way for the national nonprofit organization to raise money for research and generally promote awareness of MS.
Green's participation in such events is often as a member of Team Copaxone, a 10-athlete team intended to demonstrate the variety of endeavors a person with MS can achieve, including snowmobiling, running, biking, aviation, barrel racing and golfing.
One woman on the team, Wendy Brooker, is attempting to be the first person with MS to climb Mount Everest.
It used to be that the only prescription for MS, which still has no cure and no known cause, was rest.
For a person like Green, though, who lives an active lifestyle, it simply wouldn't do.
His wife of 29 years, Ciretta, is thankful that for that.
"We're lucky to be going through it now and not 20 years ago," she said.
Their daughter, Kristjana, was 3 years old when Green was diagnosed. But the 19-year-old Brigham Young University student doesn't remember a time when it wasn't a part of their lives, her dad said.
Green has done the TransMontana event, which is sponsored by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, for 11 consecutive years. A former snowmobile guide and mechanic in West Yellowstone, where he "got the love for snowmobiles," he is the only person with MS to ride the entire distance.
"It's a lot of work," he said. "But it's fun work."
He also sees it as an educational opportunity.
"I've got this and I do what I do," he said, lifting his Copaxone helmet.
"It's just always about having a reason to get up in the morning," he said. "I guess that's life in general, and it's no different with MS. I try not to worry about it because it's a part of me."
Michael Gibney can be reached at mgibney@dailychronicle.com or 582-2638.
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