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From one mission to another ACME Business Consulting principal David Kelleher’s life changed forever on a Monday morning in 1995. At the time he was a U.S. Army Ranger and platoon leader, about to be deployed to Bosnia. He awoke that morning to find his eyes going in separate directions. After undergoing a battery of tests, David got the diagnosis: multiple sclerosis. Fast-forward 12 years. Today, David has found a way to make the presence of MS in his life a very positive one: He’s chosen to focus his energies on advocating. Currently, he’s a board member of the Oregon Chapter of the National MS Society, serving as chairman of the Community Advisory and Government Relations committees. Under his leadership, these two committees advocate on issues including accessibility, insurance reform, disability rights and research funding – at the federal, state and local levels. He has put his day-job business skills to good use for his committees, guiding strategic planning and improving productivity through outsourcing and other efficiencies. And beyond his mind, David also throws his entire body into the cause. He’s organizing a team and participating in the Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival, a multisport event held in Sunriver, Oregon, that his team will use as an MS fundraiser. His squad, Team DefeatMS, is on track to raise more than $50,000 for the 2007 event, with 100 percent of the funds raised going to research. In addition to raising money, the team’s participation will build awareness of the disease in a part of the country with the highest incidence rates in the nation. The Oregon Chapter supports more than 6,500 people and their families in the region who live with the disease. David knows firsthand the impact MS has on quality of life, families and employment. When he received his diagnosis, he could have responded in a variety of ways; he chose action. And now he knows what you can accomplish when you look adversity in the eye and refuse to stand down. |
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