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Let’s Make a Difference Together!

On September 24th, we’ll start to cycle from Trieste, Italy through Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and back to Italy to finish in Bari on October 19th. Over this 4-week odyssey, we’ll pedal 1,000 miles and climb about 57,000 feet of elevation (basically 2 Mount Everests!). We know from experience that we will face some difficult and demanding days. But our challenges will pale in comparison to the health issues so many people face daily. Over the past years, we've been moved by two individuals' strength of character in living with paralysis.

First is our family friend Ernie. Six years ago, at age 18, Ernie had a terrible accident in his first week of college. He had been at the beach with a group of new friends when a freak wave pushed him headfirst into a sandbar, bursting his C6 vertebra and paralyzing him from the chest down.

Second is our friend Lenny. Mark and Lenny worked and lived together at summer camp in 1982. They led trips in student travel in the late 80's & early 90's; by coincidence, Lenny was also Heather’s classmate at McGill. Lenny suffered from an aortic dissection 10 years ago, and became paralyzed from the waist down.

Ernie and Lenny inspire us with their positive outlook. We'll think of them daily for motivation as we cycle up mountains, encounter heat, rain and wind, and deal with overall exhaustion.