MEET THE
ROLLING RITTERS
Hi and thanks for stopping by Rolling with the Ritters! I’m Nancy, and along with my husband Dave, we have decided to fulfill a bucket list item for us both. A trip to the great white north … Alaska and the Artic Circle and ultimately to the Artic Ocean. Now you may be reading this and thinking “yea yea, nothing big, people go to Alaska all the time.” Well, we have special circumstances and health challenges that will make the trip more challenging than most.
In 2007 Dave was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis (or MG). MG in loose layman’s terms means “weak muscles” and presents a constant battle to retain strength in all parts of the body. If you want to know specifics, you can Google it, or he is in the process of putting together some information to put on the blog so others can learn about the disease. Doctors said that MG was so rare that he had more chance of winning the lottery than getting this disease, but here we are. (I would have much rather won the lottery!!! Lol)
Over the next several years, even though he was a nurse by trade, we both learned more and more about MG and the limitations it puts on a person who has it. He also went through a series of several types of medicines and procedures in an attempt to improve his quality of life.
But . . .
Then we were presented with a huge blessing. Dave’s neurologist was one of the doctors that were participating in a research study through Ohio State University Medical Center of a new research/experimental medicine that they felt might help MG patients. Dave and I talked about the possibility of going into this study. He was tired of living (which really wasn’t living) the way he currently was and his health declining steadily regardless of the medications they had him on. He was uncertain about doing the study as he would be only 1 of 30 patients in the entire world putting this drug into his body and no one knew how it would affect the human body. After much discussion and prayer, Dave decided he had had enough of “not living” and wanted to at least try to regain some sort of his life back.
Taking the initial assessment for the study was grueling for him and I could see the struggle and stress every step of the way. Dave tested as the worst of the patients that would be a part of the study, so we were all wondering if this was really worth the risk. It was a blind study, so part of the group got the full strength of the medication, some got 50% strength of the med, and some got no medicine at all. Each patient’s progress or non-progress was recorded over the next several years and tracked.
The miracle . . .
Dave started to improve! Not tremendously at first, but still some improvement was better than none.
So, in late 2019 we decided that while he was feeling at least some better, we would take advantage of this little glimpse of hope for his health and had a plan to pack up our home on wheels and take a trip to Alaska. The overall trip would take about 2 to 4 months since we would be traveling in our truck and 5th wheel camper, and dealing with his health challenges so that we could have this trip before his health could have a chance to decline again. Plans and reservations were made as well as packing the trailer with anything we thought we would need for the trip.
Then . . .
In 2020 — Covid happened. Trip was cancelled. All reservations were cancelled – life was cancelled. Due to his high-risk potential, we stayed home, and everything was sanitized, re-sanitized and sanitized again. We were in total physical isolation from everyone…even our kids. But we couldn’t risk one of us getting Covid since the meds Dave is on decreases his immune system.
We took the opportunity during the pandemic to ready our truck and trailer for the 12,000+ mile round trip journey that we still planned on taking. Getting equipment packed and finishing the replacement of the freshwater tank that was leaking from a stress fracture.
At this point you will find us doing the final preparations to leave Ohio for Alaska while trying to keep Dave’s disease in check so that we can enjoy our time. We’ve worked out details on how to travel as safely as possible.
Though this Blog and YouTube channel was originally started as a way to record our memories of this trip for ourselves and so that our friends and family could monitor our progress, we thought maybe this information would benefit others who wish to embark on such a journey whether it be with or without a disability. Regardless, we hoped that this could inspire others to follow their dreams no matter what circumstance you may be in.
We will be posting lists and reviews of the equipment we purchased for the trip, why we chose it and how it works for us in case someone can find the information beneficial in evaluating their needs.
So fasten your seatbelts and join us on the journey and see where the Ritter’s will be Rolling to next 😊
Website: www.RollingwiththeRitters.com
YouTube: rollingwiththeritters