I received an email on Friday from a very loving and devoted father who has a teenage daughter suffering from Lupus. Chris Paradysz is blogging on his website, Life Without Lupus, and on his blog about his training efforts to ride and raise awareness for Lupus. Chris has also posted his training videos on You Tube. Here is part of Chris’ email:
The blog details my training efforts as I prepare for an attempt to break the current 24-hour track record at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center near Allentown, Pennsylvania. The current record of 391.29 miles (629.72 kilometers) is held by Kurt Bond, of Orefield, PA.
I’ve been blogging my training since last summer, when I decided to try and break the record. I should tell you that up until that point I was just a normal dad with a few extra pounds who liked to ride his bike on the weekends. But my oldest daughter convinced me I needed to take on a big, new challenge.
She’s in college now, but has been living with lupus since she was in grade school. Its a terrible disease that had caused her immune system to go out of control, wreaking havoc on her entire body, causing long hospital stays, and a lot of scary sleepless nights for her mother and me.
But now that we’re out of the woods and Allie is off at school, I’ve decided it’s time to do something on behalf of the 1.5 million Americans who are bravely battling lupus each day. I know that no matter how much sweat, pain and suffering this attempt may cause me, it’s nothing compared to lupus. But perhaps in my quest, I can raise some money and awareness for an organization leading the fight for a cure: The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation.
Chris’ goal with running his website and blog is to educate people on Lupus and to gain support for much needed research. Through Chris’ cycling efforts he wants to raise a lot of money to help find a cure. Chris states:
Lupus needs awareness and attention and I can only hope that my squeaky bike wheels get the grease. I believe that we’re just $1 away from a cure – even the smallest amount of money and support could put us over the top, and on the way to a life without lupus. That’s our hope; that is our goal.
I know right now that times are tough and that there are many people out of work. My husband hasn’t had steady work for months. But if everyone reading this could donate just $1 – imagine how much that would add up to! You can click HERE to donate.
Keep watching and reading Chris’ Life Without Lupus blog to get updates on how his training for the race is going!
Please stop by and visit my Resources pages for Lupus:
Well done Chris, this world need much people like you. Good job.