Cyd
I rode a bike, for the first time in about 15 yrs, last year during the 24 hrs of Booty. An ambitious undertaking I know for a professed non exertion exercisor. Running with the dogs on the beach (very slowly mind you) was the extent of my exercise regimen. Our office, where I had been working for just a few months, had decided to pull together a last minute team to ride. So, I borrowed a Huffy bike and went to the event with innocent enthusiasm. After the first loop, I thought I was going to die, but then after the second loop, something pretty cool happened. Not only did I start to gain some endurance, I started to have fun and bond with the folks I was riding with.
My normal sports fundraising efforts had been at the annual deepsea fishing tournament for cancer and the other annual golf tournament for cancer. Since I moved to Charlotte, I needed a fix to raise money for this insidious disease. I say insidious because it took the lives of my closest family member, my mentor in my life at the beach and some very dear friends, whom I miss each day.
My aunt Pat, was the person who had faith in me when no one else did. She was my baby sitter when my Mom had to work three jobs, she taught me the finer things in life, like how to cook gourmet, and catch fish when nothing was biting. We even looked alike, much to the chagrin of my mother and my aunts sons. I still miss her 6 years later, after cancer had spread through her like a wildfire so out of control that it killed her within months. So I will ride again for Aunt Pat and all the other friends in my life who have had their shining lights snuffed out by their deaths from cancer way too soon. The list is long, I am sad to say, so we must keep up the fight …….And ride!
