Crazy lady on a bike coming through

Is it just me or does this year seem to be flying by? I looked up and it was April. Not quite sure how that happened. But as the year seems to be moving along at a rapid pace (or at least for me), it’s time I start pounding the pavement (or harassing people through email and social media) to raise money toward my JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes in October. Fundraising is more personal than usual because of the physical challenge associated with this ride. It’s way bigger than a Walk, but the money still goes to research. Most of you have your own fundraisers and initiatives, so I understand not everyone can give, but everyone can pray. So consider those options (OR BOTH!) and read my note below.

Thank you friends!

You each know I have type 1 diabetes and have for 18 years (more than half my life, wow) and many of you know I’ve decided to ride in this year’s Ride to Cure Diabetes in Death Valley, Calif. (That’s 105 miles. On a bicycle. At one time.) At first, I thought I might be delusional to think I could ride 105 miles in the desert come October. And a few weeks into my training, I was quite certain I was just plain crazy. But the more I ride, the more I realize that I can absolutely do this!

I’m up to roughly 35 miles now, and each week, I add a few more. I no longer think I’m delusional or crazy. While I am 100 percent confident I can do this, I am certain I cannot do it alone. I would love to have your encouragement and support. Please tell me you believe I can do this, too. As my friend, that means more than you know.

This ride is important to me, partly because I’ve never done something this physically challenging. Riding 105 miles is tough, but factoring in diabetes makes a little bit more precarious. I have to manage lows carefully so I can continue riding. But more than that, this ride is about something bigger than me. It’s about showing an entire generation of children with type 1 diabetes that they can do anything they set their minds to doing. Diabetes does not have to be a deterrent; it can instead be a motivator. I’ve been praying about this ride long before I ever signed up, and I have a peace knowing something amazing will come out of it.

Between now and October 20, your support helps me directly for this Ride as well as for research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes. Your gift is tax-deductible, too. You can donate online HERE, through the buttons on this page, (look to the right) or by mailing a check made out to JDRF. (If you’d like to mail a check, please email me for my address at victoria[at]victoriacumbow[dot]com).

And let’s be honest here folks, if this non-athletically-inclined lady can do this, anyone can do this! Thank you for your support — because when you financially support me, I take it as a sign of encouragement and you believing in me. If you can’t support me financially, you can do something greater by praying for me. Pray for my safety, my training and my blood sugar management through all of this. I want to be an encouragement to others, and I want God to get the glory from this ride. After all, my abilities come from Him. (If you’d like to follow my training, you can keep visiting this website for adventurous anecdotes like this one).

“We have this treasure in jars of clay to show this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” -2 Corinthians 4:7

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

-Victoria