WILLIAMSBURG — Randall Pope, a Virginia resident, is gearing up to ride his power chair throughout the commonwealth to help raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis research.
Pope, who was diagnosed with MS in 1995, served in the Army as a helicopter mechanic. After returning from a run in June of 1994, Pope’s vision in his right eye was gone. He visited the medical clinic at the base and was diagnosed with optic neuritis, an early indicator of his MS diagnosis that eventually came in 1995.
“I had just re-enlisted. I was going to make a career out of the Army. I loved my job, I loved the camaraderie, but life handed me a different set of circumstances and I went with it,” Pope says.
Pope was immediately removed from his active duty status and was medically discharged on April 8, 1995. In 2016, Pope went through another medical scare when he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
However, through both his fight with MS and his cancer diagnosis, Pope remains positive.
“People got it so much worse than I do. I’m not upset one day about having MS or being diagnosed with cancer. There’s so many good things that have happened since that day in June of 1994 and one bad thing. How can I be upset about that? I have my wife, I’ve got three kids, I have five grandkids. I live in a beautiful home, we have a farm. How could I be upset about that? Do I get upset? Sure, I do. I can’t put my socks on, I can’t put my shoes on. I just can’t find a place in my heart to get upset about having MS when there are so many people out there in need,” Pope said.
To raise awareness about MS and to raise money for people in need of power wheelchairs, Pope will ride 250 miles in his power chair from Christopher Newport University to the Pentagon. His endeavor coincides with the 30th anniversary of receiving his MS diagnosis.
“It just hit me one day that my chair is my home. My chair is everything to me. If I’m out of my chair, I can’t move. Where I sit every day of my life, it’s my home. My goal is that the money we raise stays in Virginia to help other people as they battle MS,” Pope says.
Pope hopes to raise $250,000 for MS research and awareness.
“I want to show people that have MS or those that have injuries, you can do this. You can get up and get out. People like myself, we’re not just laying around in bed all day feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re here to live and this disease doesn’t have to be a death sentence,” Pope said.
The ride will take him along some of Virginia’s most historic college campuses, including a stop at William & Mary on May 28.
“There might be 10 people there, there might be nobody there. This is the beauty of all this. Wave at us if you see us, stop, say hi, let’s have a beer together at the end of the day. How lucky am I that I get to just push the joystick forward on my wheelchair and explore Virginia at seven miles an hour?” Pope said.
In addition to the stop at William & Mary on May 28, Pope will also make his way to Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, Randolph-Macon College, Mary Washington University and George Mason University.
For his ride, Pope has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Alongside him on the ride will be his longtime friend Bruce White, Kevin Goldrick, Jerry “JT” Thompson, Emily Michaels, Isabelle Pryor, Victoria White, Joann Pope (Randall’s wife), and Amy Ridge (Randall’s daughter).
While Pope will complete the ride in his power wheelchair, his friend Bruce will complete the ride alongside on his bike.
Even before he leaves, Pope has begun to plan his ride in 2026.
“This is the first ride, but certainly not the last. I want this to be something that my grandkids can take over when I’m gone. This ride is going to make waves in an effort to contribute to research and awareness of MS,” Pope said.
Randall is raising money for the ride through his Rolling with Randall Facebook page. He will also host Facebook Live updates throughout his ride to share progress along the way.
To donate or to learn more about the initiative, visit Rolling with Randall on Facebook.