ADD News 6 - 11-04

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ADD/ADHD In The News:

Newport News-Times, 6/11/04

CYCLIST HOPES RIDE WILL RAISE AWARENESS

by Josh Jordan

Michael Sandler just finished a bicycle ride that covered more than 100 miles, featured three flat tires, torrential rain and a finish that came after 10 pm.

And he might face it all over again -- 39 more times.

Sandler rode the first leg of his 40-day, 4,800 mile solo cycling trip across the country on Wednesday. The ride brought him from Portland [Oregon] to Newport [Oregon], although the unforeseen problems delayed his arrival by seven hours from his original plan.

Despite the early difficulties, Sandler is focused on finishing his goal in the saddle in hopes it will help him reach more important goals.

The 33-year old from Fort Collins [Colorado] is riding to raise positive awareness for people who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. Sandler suffers from the condition, characterized by a short attention span and impulsiveness, and he wants people to realize "there are ways we can achieve and be successful" with ADD.

Like many people who have the disorder, Sandler spent difficult and confusing years as a child before he was diagnosed with ADD and put on Ritalin. Even after he and those around him found out why he couldn't focus in school or keep still at the table, he frequently got mixed signals from people who didn't understand what he was going through. The few teachers who were willing to give him a chance often had unrealistic expectations of him.

"Those negative messages really burn into your brain," he said while eating a breakfast of French toast and blueberries before beginning the second leg of his journey. "If you don't have a positive foundation, parents, teachers, God, whatever, it can really mess you up."

Sandler worked his way through adolescence and thought much of his troubles with ADD were over. He went off to Colorado College where he earned a degree and built upon an already-burning love for cycling. After graduation he went to Europe and rode professionally before an accident brought him back to the states three years later.

Not one to sit idly, Sandler quickly enrolled at Colorado State in Fort Collins where he decided he could earn two advanced masters degrees at the same time. Sandler accomplished his goals but not without some difficulty as the need to utilize all of his time to maximum potential was exacerbated by the double class load.

"I struggled badly," he recalls. "How do you study (with ADD)? How do you focus and do homework? I couldn't find the answers."

Last year Sandler finished his schooling with an MBA and a masters in computers, only to have a series of set-backs. He was in a car wreck and suffered a broken collar bone, ribs and shoulder. His furnace blew up, his hot water heater overflowed and his dog was diagnosed with cancer. The cascading bad luck sent him into a depression and soon he and his girlfriend of more than three years parted ways.

"Until that point I didn't realize what rock bottom was," he said. "I had this MBA and a masters in computers but all of these negative messages kept coming in. I couldn't believe where I was and wondered what I had done with my life."

Whereas Sandler used to use cycling as a way to prove himself, he realized that wouldn't be a salve forever so he began to look inward.

"You need that foundation," he said. "Before (my foundation) had been athletics but you're only so good at a sport for so long. We can't get self esteem from what we do and have it sustain us so I got mine spiritually."

Sandler wrote a book, "Positive ADDitudes in High School and College" and refocused his energies and life goals. Six weeks ago he sat up in bed and said "I am riding across the country."

Sandler planned it so he will end his ride in Washington, DC, on July 19, where he hopes to talk with government officials and put a face on an issue that many of them only read about in dry medical terms.

Sandler says five to 10 percent of people have ADD and only 10 percent of those attend college. He notes a high percentage of prison inmates suffer from the condition and wants people in the government to recognize the importance of the issue.

"I want to show them what it really means to have ADD," he said. "(To) communicate what it really means and show them that we can make a big difference in this country just by attacking this problem."

Sandler not only wants to raise other people's awareness about ADD, but his as well. The six- to eight-hour days in the saddle by himself is something Sandler would never have dreamed of doing just a few months ago. Miles of road with no company but your own mind can be hard on a person, especially when their mind tends to take them on unpredictable rides, often to unpleasant places.

"This is as much an inner journey as it is a journey across the country," he said. "Everything about this is putting me in the most uncomfortable place I can be, by trying to get to a real quiet and lonely place to find that inner voice and learn how the ADD mind gets there."

After the second leg he will have 38 more days and around 4,500 miles to figure it out.

Sandler is still seeking sponsors and private donations to help him fund his trip. People can read more about his journey at www.positiveadditude.com or send inquires over e-mail at mr.bicycle@msn.com. You can also phone Sandler at (970) 308-4357.

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