Meet MS Warrior Tim Salmon
Tim Salmon’s journey with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) began like a bad dream. Once an avid surfer and marathon runner, he found himself waking up to numbness and tingling in his right leg. Like most of us in RAMMS, he attributed his strange symptoms to a sports injury. Within days, though, the numbness spread throughout his entire body, signaling the onset of a life-changing diagnosis.
In May 2003, at the age of 33, Tim’s world was turned upside down. Despite being in shock, he instinctively reached out to his local MS Society Chapter and found comfort in others living with MS. Inspired by their strength and resilience, Tim resolved to face his diagnosis head-on.
Tim immersed himself in the MS community by volunteering at events and eventually becoming a mentor to the newly diagnosed. He also leads the kilt-wearing group “Team Salmon” at the Walk MS in Carlsbad, CA. Further, Tim makes strides by riding down MS with “Howard’s Team” (read Tim’s profile here) at the Bay to Bay Bike MS every year. Tim has not only found ways of channeling his energy into something positive, but his fighting spirit is an inspiration to many and even earned him the title “Most Inspirational Rider.” Of course!
However, Tim’s journey is far from an easy ride. In pursuit of his dream job as a California State Park Ranger, Tim had a massive relapse in the middle of firearms training at Ranger Academy. His vision suddenly wet blurry and he lost some control of his hands. He was very scared and somehow managed to safely holster his weapon. In that instant, Tim knew he had to walk away from the Academy. This shattered him to his core. He couldn’t even work out his angst with a good run or enjoy his favorite therapy – surfing – because the exacerbation severely compromised his right leg and balance. For a year he went through his own personal PTSD. But true to his spirit, he refused to stay down.
With unwavering support from his wife Leah and the MS community, Tim found a new exercising outlet: prone paddling. In 2019, he set out a huge goal to do the Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race, a grueling 22-mile ocean crossing from Catalina Island to San Pedro. This is an event where not only do you have to qualify to gain entry but you have to possess an inner strength to keep paddling onward when you have zero in the tank. That’s a type of resilience Tim has acquired firsthand by living with MS. During his 5 hour and 34 minute open-water adventure, Tim pushed himself physically, mentally and emotionally past the limit. He did all this in the name of raising awareness for MS. And he has done it twice! Yes, he did the Rock 2 Rock again in 2021, besting his time by 11 minutes.
For Tim, every challenge he faces is an opportunity to raise awareness and support for MS research. Despite the hardships, he remains grateful for the strength he finds within the MS community. With intense determination, Tim continues to walk, ride, paddle and advocate for a cure, knowing that together we will one day defeat MS.
