When you walk into locally owned Curbside Cyclery – a bike store staple in Ahwatukee for more than 16 years – you’re greeted with, of course, bikes galore, all manner of accessories for everything from street rides to mountain bike adventures, and the affable shop owner herself, Stephanie Cox. Cox and her husband Mike own and operate the retail and repair shop.
With an endearing smile and caring disposition, Cox is every inch the helpful and knowledgeable retailer. But her positive impact on the community extends beyond ensuring customers get the help they need to be successful on a bike. Cox is committed to helping fundraise to find a cure for multiple sclerosis and raise awareness of the illness.
Her passion is personal. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic and arguably the busiest time to be a bike shop owner, Cox was diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable and debilitating central nervous system disease that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the rest of the body.
The diagnosis was a shock, but Cox quickly found her inner strength.
“Had I heard about MS? Yes, of course, but I didn’t know much about it. So, I found myself getting an education in MS through the National MS Society website,” Cox shares.
Thanks to family, friends, faith and a sense of humor, Cox discovered a desire to transform what she says was something potentially life-shattering into something life-affirming.
“I realized that I had an opportunity to do something positive, to make a difference and to take some control back from a life being hijacked by MS,” she says. “The bike shop girl should just get on her bike and ride Bike MS, right?”
Bike MS is the fundraising cycling series event for the National MS Society and the largest charity cycling series in the world.
Cox said she wondered if it was even possible to do the event, given her MS symptoms that make riding a bike challenging. But in early 2021, with the support of her neurologist and medication that renewed her confidence and improved her health, Cox and a girlfriend decided to train for and ride Bike MS together, taking place in October of that year.
“Our original two-woman team, Curbing MS, morphed into a 20-plus member team that first year,” says Cox. “I sent out an invitation to family, friends and clients to join me for the event. In that invitation, I disclosed my diagnosis, thus putting a name and face to MS, and requested support of my fundraising efforts.”
That first year, the fundraising phenom personally raised a total of more than $11,000, with a team total of more than $25,000. Since then, her fundraising efforts for and involvement with Bike MS have grown. In fact, last year, Cox received the prestigious Kelly Glawe MS Warrior award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the fight against MS. Her Bike MS team now boasts 30 members, she sits on the Bike MS committee, and serves as the chair of the I Ride with MS workgroup, which recognizes, supports and celebrates Bike MS participants who have disclosed they are living with MS.
While MS presents ongoing challenges, Cox works hard to balance her vibrant life, filled with purpose and passion. In addition to managing Curbside Cyclery and her involvement with Bike MS, she is a travel consultant with Critics Choice Vacations and supports her still-independent 97-year-old mother. This dedication to all facets of life underscores her resilience—a testament to the power of living a full life.
“I hope my message is one of hope, faith and encouragement,” Cox says. “You are not alone, regardless of your journey, hardship and struggles. I’ve had to reframe the why me? question to why NOT me? No one escapes the world without challenges, but how we respond to those challenges defines us, not the challenge itself.”
To support Cox’s fundraising efforts, visit Events.NationalMSSociety.org and search Stephanie Cox or Curbing MS.
CurbsideCyclery.com
"I had an opportunity to do something positive, to make a difference..." - Stephanie Cox