Welcome! June 12 at high noon, my friend Steve McGuire ( left), left the starting gate on one of the world's toughest bike races to raise money for Kidneeds' DDD research. Steve began the 2,745 mile bike race from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico to help find a treatment for people with Dense Deposit Disease (DDD). Including me, Jenna Smith(right)Why?
DDD is a rare autoimmune kidney disease that usually starts in childhood. Many of the patients will develop kidney failure requiring dialysis. I began dialysis sixteen years ago, when I was seven years old. That's when I first met Steve. Later my dad gave me a kidney, but DDD recurs in most transplanted kidneys. Steve and Kidneeds are racing to find a treatment, so we can prevent other patients from ever needing dialysis.
Sunday night, after 8 punishing days of pushing himself to the limit of his physical endurance, Steve realized that his bid to finish the race was over. He said that he stayed in as long as was possible and hoped that Jenna wouldn't be disappointed. We will miss following his dot down the trail, but the hope that Jenna is given by Steve's willingness to undertake a challenge of this magnitude in order to make her own challenging path easier, is an enormous gift. When I told Jenna he hoped she wouldn't be disappointed, she said, "Steve would have pushed himself way beyond most people's limits before he would stop, so I know he needed to stop. I just hope he'll go for a bike ride with me when he gets back."
Steve's goal was to get every one of the 2745 miles of the Divide Race sponsored. He physically and emotionally gave everything he could of himself to this effort. The challenge to sponsor the miles remains. Your support is critical to the successful outcome of his efforts and limited to the physical challenge of pushing the blue button below. Please donate even $10 for a mile and help make this incredible effort a success! We will post videos of his ride and stories from his ride throughout the next few weeks.
Thank you from all of us with DDD!
Donations can also be made to: Kidneeds, GCRCF
mail to: PO Box 1324 Iowa City, Iowa 52244-1324
Learn more about how Kidneeds, has become the world's leading research foundation for DDD, from a grassroots effort started in Iowa. (right)
*See the Sponsorship section for how to donate specific miles.*
Contact us: divideitt@gmail.com
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