Meet MS Warrior Heather Goodrich
There has been scuttlebutt about this year’s Boston Marathon virtual race. People are saying the coveted Boston Marathon medal should only be reserved for “serious runners.” I understand marathoners thrive on being competitive, but people who don’t have the natural ability to qualify for Boston or those who live with mobility issues does not mean they are not serious runners! My friend, MS Warrior Heather Goodrich, is running the virtual Boston marathon and she is one serious runner, let me tell you!
Heather was a nationally classed runner and her coach and peers called her unstoppable. While training for the Boston Marathon in 2012, she started tripping and falling over her foot. It is a conditional called “foot drop.” She was eventually referred to a neurologist who said her foot drop was a symptom of MS. Heather was shocked, like we all are when diagnosed with this horrible disease. Fortunately, her neurologist is also a marathoner and knew exactly how to keep Heather in the running game. She promptly referred Heather to an orthotist.
Heather was not able to compete in Boston that year, but in unwavering determination, she told the orthotist, “Don’t show me anything I can’t run in!” So, the orthotist introduced her to a carbon Ober ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). Except he probably didn’t anticipate the extent of Heather’s athleticism because she cracked the AFO despite the device being marketed as a “sporting brace.” The orthotist thought maybe it was just a defective AFO, so he ordered a new one. But, Heather cracked that one, too. Thus began the long journey of finding the right device to keep her upright and running. Heather tried several different AFO brands and models, but none of them allowed her to reach full potential.
Thoroughly frustrated, Heather decided it was time to try something different. Her orthotist recommended the Bioness, a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device. The Bioness is comprised of a shin cuff with electrodes and a shoe sensor that coordinates the patient’s foot step with an electric jolt to the peroneal nerve to activate the muscle to lift the foot. It was a blessing and Heather was able to run again without worry of tripping from foot drop or falling after the AFO snapped. By that time; however, Heather’s MS progressed and she could not run as fast as pre-diagnosis. Nevertheless, she was grateful to experience the joy of worry-free running again.
It took Heather many months of trial and error with the Bioness to make it work for her gait; fitting the electrodes in the cuff to hit the nerve’s sweet spot, timing the foot sensor with the electrical activation, Onding the right voltage to lift the foot properly, conditioning the skin to prevent burning from repeated electric shocks, and physical therapy to relearn how to run with a Bioness.
It took Heather a while to get back into the racing circuit but when the time came, she did it with full gusto. In 2016, Heather ran the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge where she participated in the Neverland 5K, Tinkerbell 10K and Disney Princess Half Marathon all on the same weekend. Heather was giddy to run her beloved Disney races again and she certainly had fun wearing her flirtatious running skirts!
But as time passed, MS progressed and Heather started stumbling on her good foot. She persisted and bought expensive carbon trekking poles to keep herself upright during the Boston Marathon 5K in 2018. She was the o_cial last place Onisher and she was happy and proud!
Heather eventually got two new Bioness devices for each leg and she pushed on for several more races. Her orthotist also cast her legs for custom SpryStep AFOs in 2018. The AFOs are springy and help her lift her legs better. As Heather says, all of these devices are part of her Utility Tool Kit: bilateral SpryStep AFOs, two Bioness devices, and trekking poles. Over the years, with practice and fortitude, she has learned which combination of tools to use depending on factors like level of MS fatigue, heat and humidity, or even for a dreaded treadmill run! Heather is unstoppable.
In late 2018, just before the RAMMS event in Detroit, Heather suffered a terrible MS exacerbation. She had to cancel her trip and bow out of the race. She was distraught, but still managed to do a slow and tearful virtual 5K for the team.
By mid-2019, Heather learned of the Alinker walking bike. It is an apparatus that helps people stay active and walk. Of course, Heather redefined the Alinker to help her stay active and RUN! Heather debuted her Alinker at the RAMMS event in Richmond and, once again, has proven to be unstoppable. Last October 2020, she ran the virtual Marine Corps Marathon Trifecta, which was a 10K, marathon and ultra-marathon 50K with her Alinker and bilateral SpryStep AFOs. Amazing!
To the people who are critical and don’t think folks like Heather are “serious runners” to compete in a virtual Boston Marathon, can you run a multi-day event with a FES that slowly singes your skin over time with insidious electric shocks? Can you run a 5K wearing AFOs stuck inside your shoes while digging your trekking poles deep into the asphalt to keep from tipping over? Can you crank your legs for a 4 1⁄2 hour ultra-marathon on a 26-pound Alinker (And no, you cannot speed on the downhills. You’re limited to 3 mph going down)? In the words of Heather, “Run A Myelin My Shoes, or hush your mouth!”