Another Week Closer... I will Ride this year

Another week passes... and we get another week closer to the ride. I'm starting to get a litttle nervous that I will not be able to complete my training as much as I would like to.
So today it was back at the doctors... but this time it was to see my GP for a physical and to get a couple of minor complaints looked at. I also needed to talk to him about my training for this ride and see if I could get his blessing to continue...
I didn't get it yet... but I think that I will be getting it soon. He ordered more x-rays to see what is happening with my knee and back, and as long as those come back clean he'll clear me to ride. Now I just hope that it all comes back clean so I can get back on the bike again! It's been really hard to put this on hold waiting for the doctors to get back to me.
This is my 3rd year working with GYGIG. The first year that I worked with them was the 2nd ride in Seattle. I found out about the ride way too late to try and train for it, so I immediately signed on to crew. That year I was hooked. It ranks as one of my most cherished memories ever. I wasn't doing too well going into that weekend. Stress had taken my body for a spin and I was trying to just push through. Fortunately for me everyone around me knew what was happening... they had see it too many times before. Having so many people around me supporting me, knowing what it is that I was going through and what they could do to help... it was an experience that I will never forget. I had been living with Crohn's for 4 years at that point and had NEVER had anyone know what was happening or what they could do outside of my doctors. From that moment on I was comitted to helping GYGIG and the community out in any way possible.
Year 2 rolls around and I want to ride. I start thinking about the training that would be required... and I find myself in the hospital. It was not a good start to the year. A flair up had completely decimated my body so I needed some time to let it recover and find out what damage was done. This completely took me out of the running for riding again. Once again I stepped up and still helped out where I could... but I kicked myself mentally all year for not being able to ride.
So sign ups started for this years' ride... and I was ABSOLUTELY DETERMINED that I was going to ride! I was not going to let my body do this to me again! Well in October I had to spend some time in the hospital again, this time it wasn't Crohn's related. I had a MRSA infection in my forehead that, when I went to get it taken care of, decided it wanted to start rapidly spreading throughout my face. Well after a Billion different anitbiotics, surgery to remove the infected tissue, and hospital time, it all took it's toll on my body again and I was back in the hospital for a flair a couple of months later. (why so long after.... I'm an idiot) I immediately started doing EVERYTHING that I could think of to get myself ready to ride. I started following a stricter diet, started playing soccer again (I'm a keeper so it's not a heavy workout for me but it was getting me back into moving again), and started doing everything that would put me in a position to be back on a bike in time to train. Thinks were looking like they are on track until I had to start looking into some other problems that I was having.
So right now I am in a holding pattern. I am still doing little things to try and get my body in a better position when the time comes that they release me to ride again. I will figure out a way to make it happen. Talking with my family over the weekend... they gave me a great idea.
This isn't a race... It's a Ride. It's a ride that'll raise a lot of awareness and needed funds for the Crohn's and UC communities. It's a ride that will allow me to prove to myself that this disease will not hold me back. It is a ride that will allow me to connect deeper into the community and help others that may be struggling with these diseases.
I will ride this year... even if all I can do is 20 miles a day... I will ride! I will not allow this disease to win again!
I thank you all for your support through this very difficult time in my life. I appreciate all of you immensly and hope that I will have the time to thank you all personally for all that you have done.
Until the next time...
Daniel