May 26, 2000

MARKING A MILESTONE IN A REMARKABLE YOUNG MAN'S LIFE

There's a special kind of pride that comes from observing the accomplishments of a person you admire over a period of many years and then seeing that person reach a major milestone.

Such is the pride I feel on the graduation of an outstanding 22-year-old student from Marquette University in Milwaukee on May 20, Mike Neufeldt.

Mike -- or "Mikey" as some of us will always think of him -- was a precocious 9-year-old charmer with a devilish grin and easy, outgoing personality when I first got to know him in 1987. As young as he was then, he'd begun what would turn out to be an enduring affiliation with MDA a couple of years earlier, at age 7.

Mike grew up in New Berlin, Wis. He was always a bright, inquisitive child, but showed signs of physical difficulties from a very early age.

"We first noticed that Mikey had a problem shortly after his first birthday," says his mom, Carol. "We noticed there was something unusual about his gait, that he curled his toes under when he walked."

The Neufeldts took their son to an orthopedic surgeon. The consultation resulted in a grueling three-month round of office visits to a variety of medical specialists. He received a number of diagnoses; eventually it was determined that he had Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

It was a traumatic time for Mike, his mom, his dad, Ray, and his sister, Sara. But their deep affection for each other helped them get through this period, as did help from MDA in the form of information, emotional support and assistance with the purchase of necessary medical equipment.

As his mom said at the time: "We teach Mikey to be thankful for the gifts that he has, to live every day to the best of his abilities, and to try things out."

By age 7, he was using a three-wheel scooter to get around. By the time he reached middle school, he was using a power wheelchair.

As a kid, Mike loved sports. In third grade, he'd zoom across the soccer field in his scooter as his classmates would steer the ball to Mike's footrest so he could expertly kick it in to score a goal.

He also loved Scouting, Star Wars, magic and baseball cards. His affinity for other people made him a natural leader at school and valuable to MDA as a volunteer. Mike was an MDA goodwill ambassador on the local level in Wisconsin, before being named to the national position in 1987.

In that capacity, he and his family traveled to New York, St. Louis, Los Angles, Tulsa, New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas and Toronto to make public appearances in behalf of MDA. Twice Mike was featured on the cover of Parade magazine, along with someone who'd become a close family friend, Jerry Lewis. Mike and his family also appeared with Jerry on the national broadcast of MDA's Telethon in 1987 and 1988.

Mike did a fabulous job in the national voluntary role and fondly recalls the period as "the two best years of my life." When his successful tenure ended, he resolved to remain involved in MDA's affairs, doing more local volunteering, including serving as co-host on the local broadcast of the MDA Telethon on WDJT-TV in Milwaukee.

At Eisenhower High School in New Berlin, Mike served on his student council and was editor of the student newspaper and -- still an inveterate sports fan -- served as scorekeeper and statistician for the varsity basketball and baseball teams.

Mike Neufeldt

"I found this was a way I could experience the happiness and sadness my friends on the team felt over wins and losses," Neufeldt said. "For me, just the camaraderie with the team went a long way toward satisfying my need to participate."

In 1997, a year after his high school graduation, in a special show of respect and affection, the school christened its new baseball field Mike Neufeldt Field.

Mike was among the top 10 students in his high school graduating class, and was awarded a Burke Scholarship to Marquette University, receiving full tuition, board and expenses for four years in recognition of his academic achievements and community service such as his involvement with MDA.

During his junior year as a Marquette broadcast and electronic communications major, Mike was returned to a national leadership role for MDA. He was chosen to serve on MDA's National Task Force on Public Awareness, an advisory body comprised entirely of high-achieving adults affected by the neuromuscular diseases in MDA's program. The Task Force advises MDA on various issues pertaining to people with disabilities and, occasionally, speaks out for MDA on such issues.

Mike has continued to receive various honors for his academic work. During his last academic year at Marquette, he was one of a small number of students inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Honors Society in recognition of his scholarship, loyalty and service to the university.

These days, Mike's disease progression seems to have leveled off. He requires assistance with some daily living tasks but is independent when it comes to writing and working on his computer.

Mike's days at Marquette are completed, but apparently he left a lasting impression. At the commencement ceremony on May 20, audience members were requested to hold their applause until all graduates had received their diplomas. The audience followed those instructions until Mike's name was called; at that point, they erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Mike is eager to pursue a career in the media, possibly as a videotape editor in television, and wrote recently to MDA's Quest magazine to say how inspired he was to read an article about other individuals with neuromuscular diseases who are carving out careers in print and broadcast media. It's always our hope that talented individuals with neuromuscular diseases will continue to take heart from reading such stories and, like Mike, strive to make their dreams come true.

"I'm a very determined person," Mike has said. "I don't take no for an answer. If there's something I want to do, I find a way to do it. I don't let my disability get in the way."

Mike is a superbly talented young man with deeply ingrained qualities of decency and concern for others, a person who has always given himself whole-heartedly to any task he set his mind to. All of us at MDA are proud of his past and present affiliation with our Association.

On the momentous and extremely hopeful occasion of his graduation, we offer our congratulations and deep affection to Mike and his family. If, in his new career, Mike receives back even a small portion of the good he has generously given to others over the years, I know he'll indeed be a most happy and fulfilled person.

With every best wish . . .

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