If you haven't already clicked on the link leading you to my Tour de Cure Page, I thought that I would also put it here on elijahnicolas.com. Here it is! Growing up and why I ride

Accompanying my grandmother to multiple eye exams, ultimately an eye transplant and seeing her struggle with the pains in her feet was all part of my growing up. I would massage her after a long walk around the block, up hill to the local 7-11 then back and just always thought it was normal that she would ache. I didn't understand until my middle school years that my grandmother was actually suffering from diabetes. Her kidneys started to fail thus her start on dialysis when I was in middle school. It always left her too weak to do our walks and I hated seeing her get back from the treatment but it was necessary.

We moved her to the downstairs bedroom so that she wouldn't have to climb stairs anymore and I got use to checking her glucose every morning before leaving for school. All part of a normal morning of a twelve year old right? I remember some mornings when she would start acting loopy, which I got use to knowing it meant it she was low on sugar. So, I would rush to take her glucose reading, which sometimes fell to the 20s, to where I would begin to force feed her mini Snickers and orange juice and sometimes we had to call 911. It was tough and she passed on strong, quiet and ever so thoughtful in November of '95.

Seeing her struggle with the disease made me more conscious of how detrimental it could be to not only the individual suffering through it but the family surrounding the person. It is why I chose to support this cause. I just so happen to also be of Filipino / Asian descent which increases my chances of living the same plight. So I ask of you...

Please Support Me in Tour de Cure!

I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fundraising event this year and you can support me with a donation by selecting the "Click Here to Sponsor Me" link. No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of more than 23.6 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes. So let's get in gear and ride to beat diabetes!

Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so important to me! This ride is for you Grandma Meli! Love, JJ

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors appear to play roles. There are 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes, a disease that is outpacing heart disease, cancer and AIDS. Diabetes is a disease that has deadly serious consequences, and there is no cure.