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!


Saturday, March 8, 2008

The Bikes Shipped!

Linda writes:

It feels like Christmas! Remember when you were ten years old and the anticipation of the arriving Christmas day just kept building! That's how Andy and I are feeling! Each day brings us that much closer to ... not sure what word to put here!

Andy took the bikes apart and boxed them up Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Not a small task to fit large wheeled items into boxes that would not be oversized per UPS standards ... and could be ?easily? put back together again in our hotel room in Sacramento! We also packed riding gear so if our luggage gets delayed, we would be able to ride in something other than travel clothes. The three boxes shipped Thursday, 3-day air. So another "block" checked!

1 comments:

Mom and Dad J said...

WOW is right. What a great feeling it must be..
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Congratulations on reaching your goal.