This Saturday morning I will be on my bike cycling 36 miles to raise money for diabetes, participating in the 2015 Tour de Cure. Wearing the red rider jersey makes me feel like a superhero riding for a cause. Some may ask why I am passionate about a fundraiser and the only answer I can truthfully share is I care about who it’s for.
It’s for the parents who woke up one day and found their 3 year old child lifeless with no explanation. It’s the pregnant mother who receives a diagnosis, turning their happy time of waiting into a time of fear. It’s for the child in school who is ridiculed for wearing an insulin pump and it’s for the teenager who is in rebellion against his disease because he wants to be like everyone else.
It’s for the man who is in kidney failure and the woman who’s losing her grip in her right hand. It’s for the twenty-nine year old man who knows he’s losing his sight but is scared to mention it to his doctor and the woman who’s legs hurt every day and for her husband who listens to her cry.
It’s for the elderly who are more likely to lose a limb because they didn’t know they had a disease.
Awareness of diabetes is vital and although there are many other spokespersons who are advocating for their cause, the truth of the matter is 29 million Americans have some form of this disease. This statistic means everyone who reads this column knows someone with diabetes.
The good news is this: technology is making a way for diabetics to live a vigorous, healthy life. Diabetic athletes are coming to the forefront. In a recent interview, NASCAR driver Ryan Reed, a type 1 diabetic, said he didn’t think he would be able to continue to drive because of his diagnosis in 2011, however because of technology and team support he’s able to drive his race car safely.
There’s an all diabetic cycling team fighting against diabetes called Team Type 1. They cycle all over the world, wearing insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. Readying myself for the Tour de Cure for the first time in 2012, they encouraged me. If they can be participant with a cause, why can’t I? Of course, I’m far from being a lithe athlete, but I have a heart to work towards the goal of being all God called me to be.
I am simply riding for the children, for the survivors, for those who face the struggles every day. I’m also riding for myself.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Why my cape is red