Brian McGreevy spends his life on bar stools. Not by choice, but because anything lower than a bar stool makes it impossible for this 38-year-old, who has a form of muscular dystrophy known as limb-girdle, to sit down or get up again.

His dining room table is at the right height to seat four on bar stools.

The computer in his office is placed high enough that he can work standing or sitting in a tall director's chair.

His meals, when he cooks for himself, have to be eaten standing at the kitchen counter because he can't carry a plate to the table while supporting himself on his titanium crutches.

Yet, the Thousand Oaks man defies the notion that his world must be limited. He has a good career, drives a Jeep, goes out on dates and likes inventing things.

He is an active member of support groups for those who have muscular dystrophy, and he helps out with fundraisers and other events organized locally by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

For the past several years, he's been a volunteer at the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, taking financial pledges from callers.

Last month, McGreevy received the association's achievement award for California, and he is a finalist for the national award.

"Brian has really touched the hearts of all of us here at MDA," said Mehgan Fay, district director of the Mid-State Chapter of the MDA.

"Not only does he contribute countless hours of volunteer time, but he is always trying to help find leads, find ways to raise more money and be involved."

MDA officials selected him for the 2007 Robert Ross Personal Achievement Award for California because of his professional accomplishments and his dedication to helping others with disabilities overcome barriers.

The winner of the national award will be announced on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon over Labor Day weekend, Sept. .

Couldn't keep up with others

McGreevy was born in Fort Wayne, Ind. At 16, he was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy which, he says, "basically means that the muscles that begin to deteriorate first are the muscles closest to the body (at) the shoulders, the hips."

There was no history of the disease in his family, but McGreevy said he knew from early childhood that something wasn't quite right with his body.

"I would get terrible muscle cramps if I played really hard. I could never quite run as fast as other kids."

He didn't let the diagnosis deter him from his ambitions. He earned a degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University.

Health compromised

After graduation, he and a friend started a design business in Chicago, but the demands of running his own company eventually took a toll on McGreevy's health. Four years ago, he moved to Thousand Oaks and joined Corptax, a corporate tax software company.

His employers customized his workspace in Woodland Hills to meet his special needs.

Those who know McGreevy see in him a burning desire to use his skills and creativity to improve his own life and the lives of others.He has created designs for devices that would help him to get in and out of a wheelchair and a lift system that would raise and lower a couch so he could do something as simple as sit in a comfortable seat to watch TV. His dream is to patent and market his inventions.

Some simple goals

"Brian is outstanding among the thousands of talented people with neuromuscular diseases nationwide who are using their abilities to make a positive impact in their communities," said Gerald Weinberg, president and CEO of MDA.

McGreevy said his goal in life is simple — to be married one day and have children.

He gets emotional at the thought of complete strangers who have donated money to the MDA through the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

"You never realize until you experience it how many people " He paused to blink back tears, then continued.

"I don't understand what drives people, I guess, to be so generous. It's amazing to me."

That kindness of strangers, he said, gives him hope that one day there will be more effective treatments and a cure — if not for him, then for the children who come after him.