Cycling for a cure

Cure is a funny word. Some people think of the ’80s English rock band, others think of miracles, but me, I think of broken promises. I’ve been pretty cynical for quite sometime when people start spewing sentences that combine the words cure and diabetes. When I was nine years old and first diagnosed I was told there’d be a cure by the time I was 15, then 20, then 25. I’m now almost 32. But my dear, dear husband, he’s not quite so cynical (at least not in this aspect) and to hear him talk of me one day being free of finger pricks, and insulin attachments, and blood sugar dramas is enough to put a warm fuzzy feeling right into my cycnical heart – and a glimmer of hope too!

So the other day, when Mario told me that he had signed up for the Whistler Gran Fondo, a 120 km cycle trek from Vancouver to Whistler, I didn’t really think much of it. I mean, Mario’s been talking about it practically since it was first announced, and he loves to ride, and it lands on the weekend of our first wedding anniversary, which would mean a fun-filled Whistler weekend for me, so yeah, it didn’t really seem out of the ordinary you know. But then he went on to tell me that instead of going in as a solo rider, he was going in as a member of Team Diabetes, which fundraises for the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Mario’s riding for me, and everyone else with this disease – he’s riding for a cure.

And you know, I gotta say, I was quite shocked with that warm fuzzy feeling shooting through my veins at that pronouncement. But how could I not get all warm and fuzzy inside and filled with belief at words like these:

My beautiful wife, Katie, has lived with diabetes since she was nine years old. She went through all the stages of denial and rebellion after she was diagnosed. But in the years I’ve known her she’s never
let the disease slow her down. In fact, she’s training for her first marathon. We ride together. We travel.

I am doing this ride for Katie, so she might one day live her life free from test strips, finger pricks, carb counters and sugar tablets.

The day after the Gran Fondo will be our first wedding anniversary. I can think of no better gift for all she has given me than to get her, and every other diabetes sufferer one pedal stroke closer to a cure.

Awwwwwwww!!! It would be a great gift … but I still want something to unwrap on Sept. 12, hint-hint 🙂
Anyone interested in donating to the cause can go to Mario’s website www.mariosgranfondo.com, which has a pledge page link to the Canadian Diabetes Association AND a link to Mario’s Gran Fondo training blog.

Hip update: My hip was achy all through the night, so I called physio first thing in the morning and was put on a wait list to get in hopefully sometime this week. As the day progressed, it became just kind of a dull ache, only really noticeable when I thought about it. But when I try and rotate my leg, there’s still pain. Still have no idea where it came from, just really hoping it’s some kind of freak anomaly that will soon pass.
Took it easy today. No running. No weights. No yoga. Just a nice visit with my favourite face friend, Sarah, who always manages to make my face look and feel oh-so-pretty!