Saturday, March 27th was Denver Diabetes EXPO. The convention center downtown was filled with vendors, food, free health tests and PEOPLE! It was crazy. I was there volunteering for 2 different groups.
The first is the Red Rider crew for Tour de Cure. You know how at breast cancer events - walks, runs, bike rides, triathalons, etc - and the cancer surviors get to wear pink and they are 'warriors' and recongnized? Tour de Cure is a bicycle event to raise money for the American Diabetes Association for their efforts in finding a cure. Red Riders are the riders on the tour THAT HAVE DIABETES! It is such an amazing feeling - passing other red riders, being passed by other red riders.... knowing that I'm really not alone. This year I have formed a team to raise money for this event - you'll hear more about it later - as I (and Tucker, I hope) ride 100 miles up to Estes Park and back!
The other group I was there to support and rally MORE support for was Team WILD! This year, on Sept 19th, I will complete a HALF IRONMAN with Team WILD - Women Inspiring Life with Diabetes! In fact, I will be posting one of the team's blog postings this week so it's a busy week for me online!
The founder of Team WILD, Mari Ruddy, also founded the Red Rider program. She spoke at Expo on Saturday about WHY she started the Red Rider porgram.... as a breast cancer survivor she really enjoyed the support and admiration that a cancer patient and survivor receives but as she put it 'Cancer SUCKED. But Cancer ENDED. I survived. Diabetes SUCKS but until there's a cure I'm still a diabetic, dealing with it each and every day'.
As Mari likes to say "If you have diabetes, you are a Red Rider!"
I packed up and headed out to meet Tucker and friends at Janet's cabin.... stay tuned for that posting!
No comments:
Post a Comment