Why We Ride, Why We Donate

A fellow rider, Jeff wrote:

I joined this Yahoo! Group a couple of weeks ago and then got the
idea that I would wait to post until August 1st. "Why August 1st",
you say? Well, today is the one-year anniversary of my 6-year old
daughter Lindsey's last shot of Enbrel. So, as of today, she has
been off all prescription medications for her Systemic JRA for one
full year!!

I won't go into the details here, but suffice to say that Lindsey is
in a much better place than she was three years ago when she was
dealing with daily temperature spikes, pain in joints throughout her
body, taking six prescription medications a day (including 3 shots a
week), not growing an ounce or an inch for 18 months (due to
steroids) and dealing with having to be fully anesthetized for
cortisone shots. In fact, except for an occasional, brief symptom
here or there, she is completely back to normal, at least for now.

I tell you this because the Lindsey we have today is probably not
the Lindsey we would have if she had developed JRA even ten years
ago. Results like hers are why we are all riding in the California
Coast Classic, and more advances are on the horizon. So, I want to
say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who is riding and I want you to know
that you are making a difference in people's lives!

So, this will be my first California Coast Classic, and I am very
excited about it. I have thought many times about doing a SF-to-LA
ride, since I live in the area. Little did I know that it would
take Lindsey getting arthritis before I'd actually get off my butt
and do it. But ever since the day I made the decision to ride, I
have grown more and more excited by the day.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can in San Francisco
and on the road.

Visit Jeff's donation site and make a contribution.