Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis

Julian Uccello, My Badwater VR 267 Walking Challenge

I want to spread awareness as much as possible to the world...

Julian Uccello was on top of the world, a professional soccer player and playing for AC Milan.

Julian Uccello was on top of the world, a professional soccer player and playing for AC Milan. Nothing could stop him, he had the drive, the mentality, and spirit to do everything in his power to get to the top and stay there. Then, out of nowhere an MS diagnosis stripped it all away. Julian went from playing for one of the biggest teams to being cut from the team. Just like that. With a snap of the finger, he was done playing professional soccer. In his MS4MS Blog, Uccello spoke candidly on where his mind was during that time.

“After 20 years of sacrifice and hard work to become a professional soccer player; making it to the highest levels in the world you (MS) had to show up and ruin a young man’s dream,” said Uccello.

Those words show the real, raw emotion he was feeling as MS took away his soccer dreams. This was not something that he took lightly, it was a difficult way to have to leave the game that he loved. The most difficult part for Uccello was the toll it took on his mind because of all of the hard work and dedication that went into becoming the best soccer player he could be.

“At the end of the day it was a lot of depression and a lot of thinking that it wasn’t true because no one would think that an athlete can end up with something like MS,” said Uccello, “especially when you’re taking care of your body and eating well, not drinking, not smoking, not doing any of that stuff. So it was very hard on the mind.”

It took Uccello a few years to fight through this mindset full of depression and anxiety. Spending all of that time having the mindset that your whole world is crashing around you can take a toll on anyone. It may be difficult for most of us to fathom exactly what it’s like to go to battle with the mind after the rug was pulled out from under you.

However, Uccello would not let this be the end of his journey within the soccer world or let this diagnosis completely define the rest of his life. He would rebound and take control of what he could. Once he decided that the time was now to rise up and accept the challenge, he was capable of anything.

“It took about two years to get through it,” said Uccello, “in a sense being depressed and being at home and not doing anything, I think made it worse. It took about two years for me to get myself out of that bubble and just realize that there are other things in the world that can make me happy just as much as soccer did. Medication, antidepressants, all that stuff was what I needed to balance out the neurons in the brain.”

After spending a few years fighting that mindset, Uccello continues fighting but this time the battle is showing himself that anything is possible when you focus and put your entire motivation behind it. That motivation took him all the way to the Badwater VR 267 walking challenge. A foot race covering 480 kilometers in 16 days.

On the Badwater about us webpage, they explain what this foot race is all about. “It’s a frame of mind, a global family of horizon-chasers, and a statement to the world about priorities and preconceived notions of what is possible. Badwater isn’t just a race or even a series of races, it’s a way of life!”

The race itself is more of a walking challenge and is a virtual event where people around the world can be get involved by walking the 480 kilometers in 16 days. For Uccello, he wants to prove to himself that his MS diagnosis is not the end by competing in this challenge. With that mindset comes a wave of personal gratification for all who want to overcome any obstacle including MS.

Although he started this challenge for personal reasons, Uccello was able to raise over $15,000 (US Dollars) for an online fundraiser to support the Badwater Foundation and MS4MS (Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis). Combine that attitude of self-confidence with a healthy dose of helping others and you get a great outcome for everyone involved.

Uccello explains how he got involved, what it means to him to not only be involved with the challenge but also how it feels to get support from others who have MS or even those just inspired by his determination.

“My trainer that I’ve known for 25 years came up to me and said he wanted to get involved to support those who have MS in honor of me,” said Uccello. “Getting messages and phone calls from people that I don’t even know on all social platforms, it’s very nice. When you’re hearing from people in the States or in Europe that are saying, I have MS and what you’re doing is inspiring. I tried to get out there and was only able to walk one or two kilometers. It shows myself and the world that it can be done.”

The journey through this challenge also has a deep personal meaning for Uccello. As he has a wife and young daughter who are constantly asking him to go for walks. His MS diagnosis has made walking very difficult for him. Hearing his daughter constantly asks to go for walks and being unable to do so is a difficult pill to swallow. His hope is that this walking challenge will empower him to say yes to all those let’s go for walk requests from both his wife and daughter.

“The challenge means a lot to me because it allows me to realize that I’m able to get through the walk,” said Uccello. “So, when my daughter and wife say let’s go for a walk it’s not going to be I can’t; which is what I’ve been doing for the past two or three years. I say no, I can’t go for a walk. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. Now my mind is saying yes, you can.”

That is enough for Uccello to be satisfied with the outcome of this walking challenge. To be able to go for walks with his family makes his day complete. Looking ahead, he not only wants to continue competing in this challenge and continue to coach soccer but also wants to be a role model for all of those dealing with struggles with their MS diagnosis.

“I want to just spread awareness as much as possible to the world,” said Uccello. “With MS, there are a lot of questions that have to be asked and many unknown answers. I think that a lot of people don’t understand what MS is and the same amount of awareness for other diseases needs to be put out because everyday people are struggling with different things. It’s just a matter of people knowing that.”

Julian Uccello was on top of the world, a professional soccer player and playing for AC Milan.

Julian Uccello was on top of the world, a professional soccer player and playing for AC Milan. Nothing could stop him, he had the drive, the mentality, and spirit to do everything in his power to get to the top and stay there. Then, out of nowhere an MS diagnosis stripped it all away. Julian went from playing for one of the biggest teams to being cut from the team. Just like that. With a snap of the finger, he was done playing professional soccer. In his MS4MS Blog, Uccello spoke candidly on where his mind was during that time.

“After 20 years of sacrifice and hard work to become a professional soccer player; making it to the highest levels in the world you (MS) had to show up and ruin a young man’s dream,” said Uccello.

Those words show the real, raw emotion he was feeling as MS took away his soccer dreams. This was not something that he took lightly, it was a difficult way to have to leave the game that he loved. The most difficult part for Uccello was the toll it took on his mind because of all of the hard work and dedication that went into becoming the best soccer player he could be.

“At the end of the day it was a lot of depression and a lot of thinking that it wasn’t true because no one would think that an athlete can end up with something like MS,” said Uccello, “especially when you’re taking care of your body and eating well, not drinking, not smoking, not doing any of that stuff. So it was very hard on the mind.”

It took Uccello a few years to fight through this mindset full of depression and anxiety. Spending all of that time having the mindset that your whole world is crashing around you can take a toll on anyone. It may be difficult for most of us to fathom exactly what it’s like to go to battle with the mind after the rug was pulled out from under you.

However, Uccello would not let this be the end of his journey within the soccer world or let this diagnosis completely define the rest of his life. He would rebound and take control of what he could. Once he decided that the time was now to rise up and accept the challenge, he was capable of anything.

“It took about two years to get through it,” said Uccello, “in a sense being depressed and being at home and not doing anything, I think made it worse. It took about two years for me to get myself out of that bubble and just realize that there are other things in the world that can make me happy just as much as soccer did. Medication, antidepressants, all that stuff was what I needed to balance out the neurons in the brain.”

After spending a few years fighting that mindset, Uccello continues fighting but this time the battle is showing himself that anything is possible when you focus and put your entire motivation behind it. That motivation took him all the way to the Badwater VR 267 walking challenge. A foot race covering 480 kilometers in 16 days.

On the Badwater about us webpage, they explain what this foot race is all about. “It’s a frame of mind, a global family of horizon-chasers, and a statement to the world about priorities and preconceived notions of what is possible. Badwater isn’t just a race or even a series of races, it’s a way of life!”

The race itself is more of a walking challenge and is a virtual event where people around the world can be get involved by walking the 480 kilometers in 16 days. For Uccello, he wants to prove to himself that his MS diagnosis is not the end by competing in this challenge. With that mindset comes a wave of personal gratification for all who want to overcome any obstacle including MS.

Although he started this challenge for personal reasons, Uccello was able to raise over $15,000 (US Dollars) for an online fundraiser to support the Badwater Foundation and MS4MS (Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis). Combine that attitude of self-confidence with a healthy dose of helping others and you get a great outcome for everyone involved.

Uccello explains how he got involved, what it means to him to not only be involved with the challenge but also how it feels to get support from others who have MS or even those just inspired by his determination.

“My trainer that I’ve known for 25 years came up to me and said he wanted to get involved to support those who have MS in honor of me,” said Uccello. “Getting messages and phone calls from people that I don’t even know on all social platforms, it’s very nice. When you’re hearing from people in the States or in Europe that are saying, I have MS and what you’re doing is inspiring. I tried to get out there and was only able to walk one or two kilometers. It shows myself and the world that it can be done.”

The journey through this challenge also has a deep personal meaning for Uccello. As he has a wife and young daughter who are constantly asking him to go for walks. His MS diagnosis has made walking very difficult for him. Hearing his daughter constantly asks to go for walks and being unable to do so is a difficult pill to swallow. His hope is that this walking challenge will empower him to say yes to all those let’s go for walk requests from both his wife and daughter.

“The challenge means a lot to me because it allows me to realize that I’m able to get through the walk,” said Uccello. “So, when my daughter and wife say let’s go for a walk it’s not going to be I can’t; which is what I’ve been doing for the past two or three years. I say no, I can’t go for a walk. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. Now my mind is saying yes, you can.”

That is enough for Uccello to be satisfied with the outcome of this walking challenge. To be able to go for walks with his family makes his day complete. Looking ahead, he not only wants to continue competing in this challenge and continue to coach soccer but also wants to be a role model for all of those dealing with struggles with their MS diagnosis.

“I want to just spread awareness as much as possible to the world,” said Uccello. “With MS, there are a lot of questions that have to be asked and many unknown answers. I think that a lot of people don’t understand what MS is and the same amount of awareness for other diseases needs to be put out because everyday people are struggling with different things. It’s just a matter of people knowing that.”

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