Tour de Cure
Here were the positives:
1. Sunny, pleasant weather - a little windy, but not too bad.
2. Rest stops with food, water, facilities, and helpful staffers/volunteers.
3. Free T-shirt and water bottle.
4. Lots of people outside riding bikes rather than inside doing nothing.
5. Free, quality support from Willy Bikes.
Here were the negatives:
1. I had to ride back to the start line in the SAG wagon. A new achilles injury on top of an older achilles injury flared up pretty badly and after about 7 miles of mostly hard climbing, I had to throw in the towel. BOOOOOOOO. I hate not finishing things.
2. The route was WAY too difficult for the recreational riders who wanted to take part. Though I didn't walk any hills, I saw too many people having to dismount and walk the bike up the hill. Walking your bike is not fun. Riding your bike is fun. People will not pay to not have fun.
3. The 'celebrity' speakers really hit hard with the "diabetes is a horrible disease and all the poor people who suffer from it need our help" angle. The ADA even pulled three diabetic kids up on the stage and had them tell about how they have to do shots and check their blood sugar. Poor little victims.
That's CRAP. I have type-I diabetes. I've had it for 15 years. I don't suffer. I'm not a victim. I don't need pity from an anchorwoman or a local comedian, thank you. Nobody else needs that either. You cannot live well as a victim. The organizers of the Tour de Cure in Madison seem to have lost sight of that basic point, using the emotional appeal to try to bring in more donations. That bothers me deeply.
Seeing yourself as a victim is one of the worst things you can do when dealing with anything in life, and especially when dealing with a chronic disease that will remorselessly tear you apart. You don't get out of the disease by being a victim (or at all, for that matter), so you might as well suck it up and take ownership. No pity, thanks.
What I need is an advocate in Congress. What I need is affordable (or even better, universal) healthcare to help me pay for my supplies. What I need is easy access to specialists. What I need is someone with whom I can tear out my hair when I hit the rough days, and with whom I can cheer for the little victories.
What I need is researchers to find a cure.
As far as the ride today helped raise a few pennies to fund the search for a cure, I think it was great. Let's build on that, but respectfully - you know, without telling people with diabetes that they're victims.
1. Sunny, pleasant weather - a little windy, but not too bad.
2. Rest stops with food, water, facilities, and helpful staffers/volunteers.
3. Free T-shirt and water bottle.
4. Lots of people outside riding bikes rather than inside doing nothing.
5. Free, quality support from Willy Bikes.
Here were the negatives:
1. I had to ride back to the start line in the SAG wagon. A new achilles injury on top of an older achilles injury flared up pretty badly and after about 7 miles of mostly hard climbing, I had to throw in the towel. BOOOOOOOO. I hate not finishing things.
2. The route was WAY too difficult for the recreational riders who wanted to take part. Though I didn't walk any hills, I saw too many people having to dismount and walk the bike up the hill. Walking your bike is not fun. Riding your bike is fun. People will not pay to not have fun.
3. The 'celebrity' speakers really hit hard with the "diabetes is a horrible disease and all the poor people who suffer from it need our help" angle. The ADA even pulled three diabetic kids up on the stage and had them tell about how they have to do shots and check their blood sugar. Poor little victims.
That's CRAP. I have type-I diabetes. I've had it for 15 years. I don't suffer. I'm not a victim. I don't need pity from an anchorwoman or a local comedian, thank you. Nobody else needs that either. You cannot live well as a victim. The organizers of the Tour de Cure in Madison seem to have lost sight of that basic point, using the emotional appeal to try to bring in more donations. That bothers me deeply.
Seeing yourself as a victim is one of the worst things you can do when dealing with anything in life, and especially when dealing with a chronic disease that will remorselessly tear you apart. You don't get out of the disease by being a victim (or at all, for that matter), so you might as well suck it up and take ownership. No pity, thanks.
What I need is an advocate in Congress. What I need is affordable (or even better, universal) healthcare to help me pay for my supplies. What I need is easy access to specialists. What I need is someone with whom I can tear out my hair when I hit the rough days, and with whom I can cheer for the little victories.
What I need is researchers to find a cure.
As far as the ride today helped raise a few pennies to fund the search for a cure, I think it was great. Let's build on that, but respectfully - you know, without telling people with diabetes that they're victims.
posted by Me at 15:57
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