Disease Doesn’t Come Between Dad, Kids

Most dads are Father of the Year to their children--and many have the T-shirts and coffee mugs to prove it. But the official title is held by Russ Briesacker of Anaheim.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Orange County chapter, bestowed that title on him. A divorced father of two, Briesacker has had MS for 11 years.

“Even though MS may make him tired or slow him down, he has overwhelmingly kept up with our daily lives, taking my brother and me to school every morning and then sometimes staying up past 10 p.m. to pick me up from football games or competitions,” his daughter, Jessica, a high school cheerleader, wrote on the nomination form.

Jessica, 15, and Philip, 11, live with Briesacker, who has been involved with his children’s school activities from fund-raising carwashes to class beach trips. He enjoys bowling, miniature golf and swimming with them.

A Newport Beach attorney, Briesacker, 51, works mainly from his home. He is able to walk with a cane but uses a scooter when he goes to court. In some ways, he said, MS has been a blessing.

“It’s forced me to work from home and be more involved with the kids. As a young attorney, I spent a lot of nights at the office. I can’t do it now and I’m glad.”

He has received other awards, including one from the California State Bar for pro bono work, but this one is special, he said, “because it involves the kids.”

Briesacker is scheduled to receive the award at a recognition ceremony to be held in late November by the county chapter.

And he’s in the running for the National MS Society’s Mother and Father of the Year Award.

For information on the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Orange County chapter, call (949) 752-1680.

To be considered for this column, please send information on the Orange County person being honored along with a photograph to Lynn O’Dell, The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 283-5685.