By Larry Claflin Jr.
Staff writer October 03, 2008 11:41 am
Soon after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a decade ago, Muguet Ostaski, a former professional singer from Beverly Farms, traded her active lifestyle for a sedentary one.
She stayed home and watched TV. Exercise consisted of climbing stairs or walking in her swimming pool. She avoided talking about MS or even reading about it; to her it had a negative connotation.
"It rocked my world, in a bad way, when I got this disease," said Ostaski about MS, a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord.
Then, a few months ago, her husband, Bill, handed her a flier promoting free horseback rides in Topsfield's Bradley Palmer State Park.
Each September, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Central New England Chapter partners with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's Universal Access Program to provide assisted trail rides to disabled people.
After ignoring MS-related literature for 10 years, the event piqued the interest of Ostaski, who began riding horses at 3 years old, and hunted and jumped competitively into her teen years.
"My husband brought (the flier) to me, (and) something in my mind clicked and I thought, 'Is it possible?,'" Ostaski said. "I thought, 'This is great, because it will let me do something I haven't done in a long time. ... It will make me feel like a human because I can get around.'"