Local cyclists raise money to help fight diabetes
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of diabetes.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say I am staunchly anti-diabetes. Not only has its prevalence doubled in the last 10 years, costing about $174 billion in direct and indirect costs, but diabetes also ranks as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, diabetes affects some 246 million people, and that number is projected to climb to 380 million by 2025. Shortly put, diabetes is a pretty big problem. Luckily for all those opposed to Diabetes mellitus, a team of Santa Cruz and Scott Valley cyclists, Team OTC, has raised almost $12,000 in the last three weeks for the Tour de Cure benefit ride to fund the fight against diabetes.
Shawn Williams, captain of Team OTC, says the group had been riding together for years but decided to direct their hobby towards helping fund research of diabetes when William’s daughter, Nicky, was diagnosed with the condition. “After we found out that my daughter Nicky was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and that there is no cure we decided to come together and raise funds to find a cure,” says Williams. “We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the community.”
Williams, along with the 12 other member of team OTC, have so far raised $11,817 for the Tour de Cure taking place in Palo Alto on June 13—the highest of any family/friend team participating in the event. Those funds, along with those raised by other teams in other events taking place across the country will go towards researching, preventing and managing the treatment of all those affected by diabetes.
The United States ranks 3rd in the world of countries with highest number of diabetics, behind only India and China. While treatment is possible using insulin and proper diet and exercise, diabetes remains on the rise and can present serious problems later in life. Last year nearly $17 million was raised through the Tour de Cure to aid the fight against diabetes thanks to the efforts of teams like Team OTC. If you would like to find out more about the Tour de Cure, form a team for next year’s event or make a contribution, call 1-888-DIABETES or visit diabetes.org/tour.
