JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes: It Is More Than a Bike Ride

In 2009 my life changed forever. I was recovering from knee surgery when I became ill. My parents took me to the local hospital, and after an initial assessment, we were directed to go to Boston Children’s Hospital where we were told that I had type 1 diabetes (T1D). Hardly the news a needle phobic 11-year old wanted to hear.  My family thought we knew what diabetes was but we never dreamed of the impact to my life.  I was destined for a life of constantly testing my blood; managing food, diet, and exercise; working through a number of collateral medical issues; and wondering what my future would be like.

In 2010 I volunteered at the Burlington VT Ride to Cure Diabetes and my life with T1D started to come in focus. My dad was riding to support JDRF and I wanted to do my part for the cause. When you are diagnosed with T1D it can be viewed as just bad luck. When you are part of the JDRF Ride program, you are part of the JDRF Ride Family. In my first event I helped out at the water stop and met many riders, volunteers, and JDRF staff who have a common view–we all hate diabetes and want a cure!

In 2012 I participated in the JDRF Ride in Death Valley. My admiration for the JDRF program only grew as I saw the assistance the coaches, staff and volunteers provided for the riders. Prior to the ride, JDRF coaches help you train, answer questions, and assist with fundraising. From the moment you arrive on Thursday on ride weekend you are treated like a rock star.  The JDRF staff, coaches, bike room staff, and volunteers make sure you have what you need and everyone works together to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable ride.  As I rode 50 miles the volunteers constantly encouraged me
and made sure my ride experience was fantastic. The coaches and medical staff made sure I felt confident and safe.

The best part of riding with my JDRF Family is meeting the riders. I was lucky to meet two wonderful people during my ride in Death Valley. The first was Jack Hughes from Cincinnati who also has T1D and participated in his first JDRF Ride. We rode together and, as we stopped periodically to check our blood, Jack shared his perspective on T1D and life.  Jack was participating in his first ride at the young age of 85.  It was a pretty special for me (the youngest rider at age 14) to finish the ride with Jack (the oldest rider at 85). The second inspirational rider I met was Mary Brown. Mary was celebrating her 81st birthday by riding through Death Valley.  The day before the ride I met Mary at one of the JDRF events. She took the time to tell me how proud she was of my efforts to battle T1D and how I can do anything in life if I try hard. Mary could have easily participated in the ride and not taken the time to encourage me. But that is not what a family, especially the JDRF Ride Family, would do.

I have also helped recruit riders and had the pleasure of working with the JDRF Ride national staff. Recruiting riders is pretty simple—it is easy to say nice things about nice people. It is even easier to when those people are as dedicated to finding a cure as the JDRF Ride team who has raised more than $30 million since 1998.  Working with the national staff helped me see all the “behind the scenes” hard work that makes each JDRF Ride weekend a success.  When a rider or volunteer asks a question on ride weekend, they are greeted with a smile and a “we can do that” attitude.  The public never see the tireless efforts to find a cure for T1D—they only remember the smiles.

Participating in a JDRF Ride is a life-changing event. But it is so much more than riding your bike or volunteering.  It is about working with your JDRF Family against the disease we love to hate. It is about Turning Type One into Type None.

Fortunately, you have your choice of joining us for one of the seven JDRF Rides (or “Family Reunions” as I like to call them) planned for next year:

July 7-10, 2016
Burlington, VT

August 11-14, 2016
La Crosse, WI

September 9-12, 2016
Tour de Tahoe
Lake Tahoe, CA

October 13-16, 2016
Death Valley, CA

October 20-23, 2016
Hincapie Gran Fondo
Greenville, SC

October 27–30, 2016
Amelia Island, FL

November 17-20, 2016
El Tour de Tucson
Tucson, AZ

Registration opens on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at Noon Eastern at ride.jdrf.org.

See you at the next JDRF Ride Family Reunion!
Julia Dougherty

For more information about how you can join Team New England in the 2016 Ride, contact Jillian Boston at 781-431-0700 or jboston@jdrf.org.