May 30th marks World Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Day—a time to recognize the more than 2.8 million people worldwide living with MS. At the Challenged Athletes Foundation, we’re honoring this day by celebrating Julie Lyons, an Alameda, California resident whose journey with multiple sclerosis showcases the transformative power of adaptive sports. 

In her 60s, Julie embodies a truth we see every day at CAF: people at any age, with any progression in disability, can keep smiling, keep moving, and keep discovering new possibilities. 

From Diagnosis to Determination

When Julie Lyons was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, she decided the disease wouldn’t define what was possible. 

“For me, having MS is a challenge, not one I ever really wanted, but one I have to live with,” Julie reflects. “I can’t really change who I am as a person.” 

And who Julie is runs deep: a former SUNY Cortland Red Dragon who competed in lacrosse, cross country, and indoor track. A physical education and nutrition major who became a sports physical therapist and California State-licensed acupuncturist. A passionate triathlete, distance runner, and 100-plus mile cyclist who has always found joy in movement. 

MS may have progressively affected her mobility—causing muscle weakness on her left side, drop foot, and reduced grip strength—but it couldn’t touch her athletic spirit. 

Finding Her Way Back to Sport

As MS symptoms progressed around 2014, Julie experienced what she initially thought was a twisted ankle but turned out to be a fracture related to foot drop. It was a turning point that could have sidelined her.  

Instead, Julie fought back with characteristic tenacity. She advocated for herself, reaching out directly to Bioness after reading about their L300 Go system—a functional electrical stimulation device that helps people with foot drop and muscle weakness walk more effectively. 

“Through my tenacity and letter writing, through Kaiser, I was able to get this device,” she said. “It enabled me to stay in my career. I was able to keep working, and I was getting around quite nicely.” 

But Julie wanted more than just to get around. She wanted to swim, golf, play, and push her boundaries. 

A West Coast Red Dragon Connection

Julie’s introduction to CAF opened doors she never imagined. She began attending CAF clinics and events throughout Northern California, trying sports she’d never experienced before: adaptive golf, ice hockey, alpine skiing, curling, wheelchair basketball, rock wall climbing, cross-country sit-skiing, and yoga. 

At those events, Julie was mentored by world-class Paralympians, including Janet Penn, who won bronze in giant slalom at the first Paralympic Winter Games in 1980 and returned to capture gold in 1984. Julie’s athletic journey extended to golf, where she participated in CAF clinics at The Olympic Club and regularly attended CAF + ELEVATE Golf Academy activations in Oakland. Her commitment was recognized with a CAF sport expense grant, supporting her continued development in adaptive athletics. 

“My physical mobility has been challenged; however, my athletic desire wants to continue to participate,” Julie explains. “CAF has been a wonderful experience for me.” 

Then came an unexpected surprise at a yoga clinic in Fremont. Julie met Eva Gordon (formerly Eva Kristof), CAF’s Northern California Senior Programs Manager, and discovered they were both SUNY Cortland alumni—Red Dragons united by adaptive sports nearly 3,000 miles from their East Coast alma mater. 

“I hesitated, because I was going by myself and didn’t know anybody,” Julie recalls of that yoga clinic. “But I thought, I should just go. It was a great clinic, with lots of instructors and lots of support.” 

When Eva casually mentioned playing women’s ice hockey in college, Julie asked where she went to school. “She said, ‘Oh, it was a small school, you wouldn’t know it, Cortland,'” Julie remembers with a smile. 

Since that day, the two have connected at event after event, creating a series of photographs capturing their Red Dragon reunions: 

• December curling and sled hockey clinics at Sharks Ice in San Jose 

• January alpine skiing at Achieve Tahoe 

• Wheelchair basketball at the Warriors Basketball Academy in Oakland 

• Nordic skiing and biathlon shooting at Tahoe Donner Nordic Cross Country Center 

Now, Julie has arrived at CAF events carrying a SUNY Cortland banner—a tribute to the university that shaped both women’s athletic journeys and their commitment to empowering others through sport.