Multiple Sclerosis forced Randy Huber out of the Canadian Air Force in 1997 but today, as far as physical fitness is concerned, he says he’s in better shape than he was 20 years ago.

In 1995 Randy began to suffer what he says felt like a flu bug that would just never go away. After six months he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. A year and a half later, he left the military and says he was ready to go by that time.

“If I couldn’t do what I signed up to do, I didn’t want to be there any longer,” he says. “I didn’t want to be an office boy.”

Randy spent his first six years in the infantry and the last fifteen as a Search and Rescue Tech where he was paid to do what he loves; parachuting, climbing, scuba diving and more. And then, every once in a while, he smiled; I’d get to be a hero. Sounds like the ideal job for an outdoor fitness kind of guy.

Being based at Esquimalt was a real gift, Randy says, because Victoria’s MS Society is particularly strong. His first step after being diagnosed was to take their ten week “Newly Diagnosed Program” where different experts came in each week to talk to the group.

After a few weeks in that program, he began to admire the art work that covered the walls. That’s when he learned that they were all done by MS patients who attended a weekly art class at the society.

For years Randy had played a lot of Pictionary with friends and noticed that his drawings stood out from the others.He also began to realize that he really enjoyed art but, he thought, nobody can make a living painting so that was the end of it … until he joined the MS Art Group.

After a year, he had enough paintings for a portfolio which he used to get accepted at North Island College to study art. Later he moved to Nanaimo to take the Web Design program at Malaspina University-College.

Like me, Randy didn’t have a high opinion of Nanaimo when he first moved here. He had driven through many times before the bypass highway was constructed and constantly wondered who would want to live in a place like this.

Then when he moved to attend Malaspina, the only place he could find to rent was in Harewood which he thought had a negative reputation. Also like me, he now loves Nanaimo, especially Harewood which has definitely become home for him and his wife.

Today Randy does a little web design for small companies but mainly his focus is on painting, sculpture and daily workouts at the Fitness Edge Gym. You’ll be able to see the results of his daily workout ethic at the 7th Annual Western Naturals Bodybuilding, Fitness, Fitness Modelling, and Figure Competition to be held May 26 at the Port Theatre. He’ll be competing. You can also see some of his art work at Art 10 in Port Place Mall.

MS has given Randy some mighty challenges to overcome so I asked if he had any advice for others of us who are facing our own challenges.

“My advice is simple,” he said. “Get started and never give up. Many of us have trouble getting started and most of us are tempted to give up to easily. When I started back to the gym three years ago,” he continued, “I started with the lightest weights available and almost every day for six months, I was ready to quit but after six months, I started to feel great and I sure didn’t want to stop. If you quit, you’ll never get to enjoy that feeling.”

What’s stopping you from getting started?