I am writing this post from the comfort of my air-conditioned room at The Homeridge Inn located in....
TaDa !!!!!! Yep, Davenport Iowa.
Goal Accomplished.
Let it be said that Karen Jaffe and Glenn Southworth rode their butts across the state of Iowa on a tandem bicycle...inspite of their Parkinson's Disease.
Pretty cool & I am damn proud of both of us. We did it despite the many major ailments that plagued us both, the record high temperatures and one of the hilliest routes in RAGBRAI history. But we are done AND we are both happy.
Although we did come to know many of the 70 plus people on our team, for me it was all about getting aquainted with the four others (and just as importantly, their spouses) who also have PD. John (Sue), Cydney (Pat), Andrew (Betsy) & Jim. We are all too young to have this on our plates and so we had an instant connection....hearing each persons story always sounds eerily like my own in many ways but each was unique in how it has changed their life for better and worse.
These new friends were delightful cycling companions. Funny, friendly and fearless but at the end of the day, they still need a cure...just like me So as this blog comes to an end (I will post pictures when I am back home) I hope that those of you who have "come along for the ride" will stay with me for the long haul. Much still needs to be done and there are many ways in which you can help. Be a participant in the Cleveland arm of the PPMI study (www.michaeljfox.org/PPMI), make a donation to www.shakingwithlaughter.org or join Marc and me on Sept 24th for our Team Fox event. Everyone can help so that John, Andrew, Jim, Cydney, Glenn and I never ever have to ride a bicycle across the state of Iowa again.
Before I climb into that comfy looking bed to take a much needed rest, I want to thank a few extra special people: Kathy who made sure that each of us were 'doing ok', Frank who so kindly shuttled me & my bike towherever we needed shuttling to, Kerry my bicycle mechanic and Sue my body mechanic. This week would have been near impossible without them So thank you all from the bottom of my heart
That's all for today...
Karen, We were glad to hear you made it to the Mighty Mississippi! We were blessed to have you as a guest in our humble home. We learned a lot from you and the others that have pd and we will pray everyday that a solution will be found to end this disease. Take care for now and God bless each and every one of you on the team.
ReplyDeletePete & Pat Guillaume