Dad, Diabetes, & the ADA

In 2010 I lost the most important man in my life, my dad. For thirty two years he suffered from Type 1 diabetes and endured a lot of other illnesses that rooted from diabetes. Many people do not realize all that comes along with the disease and often think it just has to do with weight gain and blood sugar levels, but it is so much more than that. I am determined to get more people aware of what diabetes really is and how it affects an individual and those around them.
Some of the complications my dad suffered with were peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that creates numbness, weakness, and severe pain in the limbs), retinopathy (damage to the blood supply to the retina causing blindness), gastroparesis (another form of neuropathy that effects the stomach's function), and other infections such as staph that led to minor amputations. My dad suffered a lot, but didn't let us see it-he was one of the strongest people I have ever known. Even though my dad had a lot of complications, there are so many other problems that others encounter that I have not mentioned. My dad was taken by a massive heart attack at the age of 54; another complication with diabetes- heart complications and failure.

In honor of my dad, I created a team for the Tour de Cure race in June 2012. The goal is to Stop Diabetes and raise some money in order to do this. The American Diabetes Association runs the event and is who receives any donations made.
A link to my specific team's page follows:
Big Daddy's Riders

My goal is to get out there and ride to make a difference! I hope that a cure comes along for Diabetes in the near future and that no other family member has to watch the one they love suffer.