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Joanna Lopinto has never been one to focus on the negative.
As a research nurse in neurosurgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, she helps patients and studies diseases by delving into the world of brain tumors and aneurysms so more can be learned — and even a cure found — for these ailments. Even when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003 during her final semester of nursing school, the resident of the 1200 block of South Alder Street continued to work towards finishing her degree, all the while keeping a positive outlook.
"I’ve learned to be so appreciative of the life I have, and I have not let MS get me down," Lopinto said. "My new motto: Life is too short to be stressed all the time. MS has only made me a stronger person."
This weekend, the 31-year-old will once again become proactive in dealing with life’s lemons by participating in the 29th Annual Bike MS: City to Shore Ride. The two-day, 150-mile bike-riding fundraiser that stretches from Hammonton, N.J., to Ocean City is sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and raises money to find a cure for this affliction of the central nervous system.
Lopinto, who was 25 when she found out she had the disease that could lead to paralysis, blurry or lost vision, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness and problems with memory and concentration, considers herself lucky to be able to ride in the Oct. 3 to 4 event.
"When I was first diagnosed, I had numbness and tingling in my legs and feet, and I knew something was wrong," she said. "My mom actually looked up my symptoms on WebMD and thought maybe it was MS. I was lucky to have a good primary care physician who ordered an MRI right away."
Diagnosed early, Lopinto was put on common MS drug interferon beta-1a. Injected three times a week directly into her muscle, Lopinto remembers the experience as painful. Two years ago, she began weekly injections.
"Since they caught the disease really early and put me on medication right away, it prevented any possible disability or problems walking," she said.
In fact, the only thing effected by the MS was the job Lopinto took after becoming a certified nurse. Bypassing a future of MCATs and deciding to remove all negativity from her life, what remained was a desire to do something she really loved.
"I thought about medical school but, in being a nurse, you don’t have to focus on just one thing and you can take care of the patient rather than just a disease," she said, adding she began as a trials nurse at HUP before moving to research. "I work mostly with brain tumor patients … and I think my experience as a patient helps me empathize with my patients a little bit. Especially with MRI anxiety. I get MRIs once or twice a year, and I’m always nervous about the results. My patients are the same way."
Staying healthy was always a way of life for Lopinto. She had been an athlete during her years at Penn, where she played lacrosse while pursing her degree in anthropology, and frequently participated in triathlons. She moved on to nursing at the school, earning her degree in three years. Currently, she is working towards her master’s in nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and will be a nurse practitioner in August.
"After I was diagnosed, I didn’t feel like doing that anymore. I didn’t know if I could do it," she said of being athletic, "but then I decided that maybe I could."
After hearing about City to Shore through a friend, she decided to give it a try and participated in her first ride last September with her trusty Trek.
"I was nervous," Lopinto, whose brother was a professional at the sport until his retirement, said. "It was hard, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. And I felt really accomplished when I was finished. I did regret only doing the one-day ride, though."
This year, Lopinto hopes to complete the two-day event. The vigorous trek of last fall made her feel "like a wuss, taking the bus back from the one-day bike ride while everyone else was still going," she said.
According to her donation page at www.bikepae.nationalmssociety.org, she has already amassed $1,755 of her $2,500 goal which is $500 more than her numbers for her debut year. Lopinto’s 15-person team, Screens ‘N’ Spokes, hopes to pull in $40,000 and is halfway there with Lopinto generating the second-highest amount of donations from her family, friends and a robust e-mail campaign.
Last year, Lopinto met Sam Verrill and the other members of what would soon become her team. Founded in ’07, the squad also offers another way to remember a donation beyond its residual good feelings: They sell artwork to benefit the cause. The $10 to $85 screenprints, in addition to providing the inspiration for the team moniker, many times has to do with biking. Available at www.etsy.com, the proceeds go to the MS Society. A Screens ‘N’ Spokes benefit art show continues through Oct. 4 at Mugshots CoffeeHouse & Cafe, 110 Cotton St. in the Manayunk section.
"When I read about Screens ‘N’ Spokes, I thought the artwork was so cool, and such a great way to raise money. I e-mailed Sam about being part of the team, and that’s how we met," Lopinto said. �€�
Though Lopinto does not personally create the artwork, its funds go straight to fighting every step of the MS battle — and Lopinto knows the importance of that.
"A lot of people are nervous about giving money to charities, but I see a lot of the benefits that it can bring myself. I go to the support groups that are created with the funding, and also know that it goes towards literature to help teach people that are newly diagnosed, and to get people who have it worse than I do the care they need.
"I know where the donations go to, and I know they help."
Lopinto’s positive outlook shines through in her biggest reason for participating in the City to Shore ride.
"I want to put a face on the disease," she said. "So many people have to deal with this diagnosis and go through the injections. At the same time, I want to prove not everyone with MS is stuck in a wheelchair. I want to prove that despite the disease, I can do this."
To donate or sponsor Joanna Lopinto for the 29th Annual Bike MS: City to Shore Ride, visit http://main.nationalMSsociety.org/eventdonation..
