Man puts power in education
By DENNIS KUTAC REPORTER

MCC/ Dave Ryan Ruben Ascencio, Tunnel Boat driver for Team COPAXONE, does not let his multiple sclerosis, stop him from doing what he loves.

To meet Ruben Ascencio, one would think he doesn't have a care in the world, especially as he gets his SST 45 Class powerboat ready for competition.

For him it's more of a hobby and a family sport since his wife Rina and their two kids Mona, 5, and Ruben IV, 4, travel with him.

But at age 37, he says he using this hobby to try to get an important message out to people like him who have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

"The message I'm trying to get out is if you are diagnosed with MS, it's not the end. Don't quit living and dreaming," he said.

Ascencio, a financial advisor from Bedford, Texas is now a Team COPAXONE member, made up of a group of MS patients like him who despite the disease are not interested in slowing down.

He will be one of about 12 SST 45 powerboat racers who competed this weekend at Port Neches RiverFest's "Thunder on the Neches," rocketing on the water at 80 mph.

Diagnosed in December 2004 after experiencing such symptoms as dizziness, numbness in his fingers and fatigue, Ascencio said he became determined not to let the disease get the best of him.

"About 30 percent of people who are diagnosed with MS don't do anything. When the doctor first told me, I was pretty devastated, but with the help of drug therapies I'm still going," he said.

Ascencio said he began to take a daily injection of COPAXONE and along with exercise and observing a healthy diet, has been able to stay active.

In 2006 he bought the powerboat he now races from a friend after getting hooked on the sport he said.

And he has made the most of it being named 2006 rookie of the year in tunnel boat racing. He won his first race last year in Highlands, Texas and went on to place sixth overall. This year he has gotten off to a good start coming second in Highlands.

"Thunder on the Neches" is one of eight races he competes in each year.

At the same time Ascencio said he is also getting the message out to others.

"This (powerboat racing) is a dramatic way to get the message out and the message is that there are a lot of people out there with this disease doing some extraordinary things," he said.

Rina Ascencio said although she doesn't race, she along with their kids is supportive of what he is doing and accomplishing.

"If it makes him happy and it makes his life easier, then I am all for it," she said.

"The kids love it because they get to help him and it's a nice family event for us. It takes his mind off the disease."

Dan Orchard, a powerboat racer from Ontario, Canada, said he began racing three years ago, about the same time as Ascencio and the two have built a friendship since they both participate in the same races each year.

"It's amazing because other than the sponsor's name on his boat, you don't ever notice that he has Multiple Sclerosis," Orchard said.

"I think it's good that he's teamed up with COPAXONE and has turned the disease he has into something good in order to let others know about it."

According to www.teamcopaxone. com, MS may affect more than 2 million individuals, and in the United States, approximately 400,000 people live with MS.