A lot can happen on the road between here and Alaska, but so far the Greater Than Graves Ride is handling the trek's challenges on their way from Anchorage to San Francisco.
Michaela Cui and her team of charity riders will roll into Prince George on June 24, according to current schedule, and are using the 50 days and 3,000 miles to raise awareness of Graves Disease.
Like many people with Graves Disease, Cui was initially misdiagnosed. The autoimmune disorder plays havoc with the thyroid gland, and can also target the connective tissue cells surrounding the eyes and the skin located on the front of the shin. The rapid weight loss Cui suffered had doctors thinking it was anorexia.
In 2010, about the time she was heading into the final stages of her aerospace engineering degree at the University of Colorado, her medical team figured out what it really was. Misdiagnoses can be fatal or cause lifelong harm, if Graves Disease is allowed to advance unchecked. If caught in time, the affects can be eased through various treatments but there is no final cure and the cause is undetermined.
"Many of my activities are now on hold while I undergo treatment for this condition," said Cui, who was recently a Junior Olympics competitor in equestrian sports, and likes to rock climb, scuba dive and paraglide.
"With all my activities suddenly taken from me, I began to feel alone and uncertain of my future. So I decided to do something about it and focus my energies on building awareness and understanding of this disease that affects so many people."
The Graves Disease and Thyroid Foundation estimates that 10 million in the U.S. has some form of the disease, and that it hits women five to 10 times more often than men. It often hits children or, like Cui, youth. A frequent physical sign (but not in every case) is bulging eyes.
Before embarking on a career, Cui decided to first do this epic bicycle journey from north to south to show people how this disease impacts society. Her team's journey has daily updates on their www.greaterthangraves.com website (including blogs, where they are now, and ham radio contact information). The foundation also has a feature link to her trek on their website.
Both websites provide buttons to click for donating to the Greater Than Graves journey or directly to the foundation.
The team was in the vicinity of Kluane Lake on the east side of Haines Junction Monday. It will be approximately 10 days before they arrive in B.C.'s northern capital.
Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism) Symptoms
- rapid heartbeat,
- heart palpitations,
- unexplained weight loss,
- increased appetite,
- restlessness,
- decreased attention span,
- shortness of breath,
- fatigue,
- insomnia,
- heat intolerance,
- increased perspiration,
- frequent bowel movements
- lighter menstrual periods.
- Signs of eye involvement can include dry eyes, swelling, redness, eyelid retraction, a "gritty" sensation, bulging (proptosis), and double vision.
