We're Linda and Andy Johnson, from Cazenovia, New York. We've recently embarked on an exciting journey. Last year Kyle Bryant originated the idea of Ride Ataxia - riding his three-wheeled cycle from San Diego to the annual National Ataxia Foundation meeting in Memphis. It took two months to get there, and in the process he raised $40,000 to fund Ataxia research and he raised awareness of the disease like no one has before. Well he rode to the annual meeting again this year and we joined him! For this trip, we left from Sacramento on March 15 and arrived in Las Vegas on March 27.

You see Linda also has Friedreich's Ataxia. This inherited disease causes the nerves of the body to deteriorate. Linda (and Kyle) can still walk at this point, but it's getting much more difficult. In addition, speech gets slurred, finger dexterity suffers, and other serious complications can develop as time goes on.

The good thing is that research is more promising than ever! Several drugs are going through trials at this time, with other significant research taking place as you read this. There has never been a better time to contribute to this research! Let's cure this disease - for Linda, for the rest of the Ride Ataxia team, and for all of the others afflicted with this disease! We met up with many of them again when we got to Las Vegas, where we heard the latest news from the researchers. Let's give them the funds they need to solve this problem once and for all!

Enjoy our blog! Feel free to write to us any time. Check out the links in the right column below to read more about the disease or to find out more about the ride. And please... it's not too late to Help Find the Cure!


Sunday, January 27, 2008

New Bike and Encouragement

Linda writes:

Picked up the bike yesterday! It's a beauty! Thanks Bicycle Man! Now all it needs is a "Wide Load" sign on the back! And all I need is someplace to ride it! 21 degrees outside right now, with 5" snow on the ground, not to mention the dirt and salt on the roads!

Anyway, the feedback we've received both verbally and financially is SO encouraging! Thank you everyone!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck on your ride.
I have a Sportcrafters mini-trike roller that you could use to train indoors on your new trike. I would be happy to loan it to you.
I live in Caz and I own a recumbent trike which I also purchased from the Bicycle Man.
Let me know. My email is cazhog@twcny.rr.com

Anonymous said...

Great trike, I am looking to buy the same model. However, this appears to be a Tour model NOT a Cruiser model...right?

Andy and Linda Johnson said...

Very observant! Whizwheels put the wrong label on it at the factory. It is a Cruiser, but it's marked as a Tour.