David Parker (39) said he was diagnosed with MS about six years ago, but that was not the only struggle he had faced.
After his wife died, leaving him to raise three children, Mr Parker gained weight and was diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
He started working out, had a hip replacement, went blind for a two years, was treated for carpal tunnel syndrome and lost some ability in his right arm, including his ability to type.
He also has arthritis.
"It all happened over the course of three or four years," Mr Parker said.
He is three to six months away from another hip replacement, and while he was in some pain three hours into a planned 12-hour exercycle fundraising ride in Dunedin’s Princes St on Saturday, he was undeterred from his goal of raising $10,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of NZ, Arthritis New Zealand and the Otago Multiple Sclerosis Society through Givealittle.
Yesterday, Mr Parker said he had completed the full 12-hour event and raised a total of $950.
"I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m so happy to have completed the full event," he said.
He said completing his goal meant the next step would be participating in a powerlifting competition in March and then a relay event.
Proceeds from both events would go towards making the $10,000 goal.
Ultimately, he hoped to make a living helping others.
"There’s been a lot in my little life and this is what I want to do now," Mr Parker said.
Since July, he has been working as a personal trainer after studying for two years.
He now runs three 45-minute classes a week, along with one-on-one personal training
focusing on mental health and physical fitness as part of his holistic approach.
"People tend to talk to their personal trainers and having a personal trainer who is also living in the trenches is really good," Mr Parker said.
The fundraiser was as much about "going into battle" with himself as raising money, he said.
"I think that’s partly why I’m doing it — to once again prove to myself that I can," Mr Parker said.
Dunedin resident Terry Howells, who has multiple sclerosis and attends Mr Parker’s fitness classes, said it was good to have a fitness trainer who understood the disease.
"He’s fantastic — he’s such an inspiration to us ... He pushes us to the limit, which is what we need," Mr Howells said.
He had been training with Mr Parker for the past three months and before that had lost a lot of strength in his arms and legs.
"He understands what we go through," Mr Howells said.
