Arthritis Foundation's California Coast Classic

The Arthritis Foundation and the work they do are very near to my heart and this is why:

It has been 9 years since I was first diagnosed with arthritis. In that time I slowly lost the ability to run, to bike, and eventually to walk without difficulty. I underwent total hip replacement surgery in 2011 and recovered mobility I had lost for years. A year later I learned that I still had arthritis – an autoimmune form now; my own immune system was attacking my joints, tendons and ligaments. Within the last few months I have learned that degenerative changes (permanent damage) are occurring in my spine, pelvis, hands, shoulder, and wrist.

Along the way in this journey I started to feel “less than” for having a physical disability. One day I heard the question asked “ What, in your life, gives you cause to be courageous?” I realized my answer was disability. That I had a choice: I couldn’t change what arthritis was doing to my body, but I could change the way I felt about it and the way I represented myself. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh writes about how we have the power to turn the arrows that pierce our lives into flowers. I have taken this to heart. Throughout this series of diagnoses I have grieved and each time emerged from that grief determined to fight, to start aggressive drug therapies to slow down the diseases progression, and to focus on keeping my body flexible and strong.

Continuing to participate in the California Coast Classic (CCC) is a significant part of my plan. In 2012, I went to CA alone and uncertain of what I would find, I was quickly enveloped by the most amazingly supportive cycling family I could ever ask for. For the first time I was able to meet people who understood a large part of my life -- living with a chronic illness. I left my first year filled with purpose and uplifted by an empowering experience where I was viewed as strong, not weak, because of the challenges in my life. For as long as it is physically possible for me to do so, I will ride in the CCC and use the mobility I have to work towards a better future for the 50 million Americans who live with one of the over 100 forms of arthritis.

Thank you for making a difference in my life and in the lives of the many people who live with arthritis.