We're Linda and Andy Johnson, from Cazenovia, New York. What began as a blog about a bike ride has become a story about our ride through life, trying to overcome a disease that has had a huge impact on us and on many of our friends.

Our journey began in 2007, when 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 in 2008 and we joined him! We left from Sacramento and arrived in Las Vegas two weeks and 650 miles later.

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!

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 and our adventures. And if nothing else, be sure to take the seven minutes to watch FARA's video - we couldn't say it better ourselves.

Monday, October 11, 2010

A Great Day!

The weather was great, the participation (over 400 riders) was incredible, our team (Linda's Lifesavers) was superb, the riding was fun, and we raised a pile of money to cure this disease!!!

Here's Linda's Lifesavers team:


Notice the bright blue sky!  Notice the smiling faces (this was AFTER the ride)!  And notice from the fundraising site that our team exceeded our goal of raising $10,000, and the whole group exceeded the goal of raising $125,000!  Right now the total is at $128,000 and still climbing - that's enough to fund at least one new research trial!

Our team of 18 had a great day!  There were plenty of interesting stories from the ride, but no complaints!  Some of us did the 10 mile route, some did the 25, and some did the 50; all finishing in good time (many hours less than Andy took to ride the 50 last year).

Of course we want to thank everyone involved.  Our team of 18 riders came through with flying colors!  Our supporters were great!  Those who donated to the ride pulled out all the stops!  The folks at FARA are out of this world - in terms of medicine, research, business, organization, politics... and as true friends.  We are indebted to ALL of you.  This disease WILL be cured, and it will be because of all of you!  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Andy and Linda

Posted at 7:58 PM

4 comments:

  2. Hi,I'm very happy for your effort and your team and nice to know that you people have got good amount as a fund raising effort.

    ReplyDelete

  3. Linda & Any, it will be so good to see you guys again. Yes, the Lord opened up some doors for me to stay with the O'Connell's (I met them at the Chicago NAF) so I could make it this year. I am so looking foward to seeing y-all this year! ;)
    Spinner

    ReplyDelete

  4. Hello, I am glad to read the whole content of this blog and am very excited and happy to say that the webmaster has done a very good job here to put all the information content and information at one place.

    ReplyDelete

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