Photo by Michael Murphy
I spent this past Father's Day morning riding 20 miles with my son Bobby on our bikes in the National Capital Tour de Cure in Reston, Virginia. No breakfast in bed for me!
Over the past eight years, Spectrum has sponsored our "Spokes Persons" team in the American Diabetes Association's annual ride to stop diabetes. Tour de Cure rides take place throughout the U.S. each year.
Diabetes is not a "sexy" or trendy disease. It's not as socially "hip" as breast cancer, in the sense that hundreds of thousands of people walk or run or ride to raise hundreds of millions of dollars that flow to diabetes research and survivor organizations, as happens with breast cancer. What's breast cancer got that diabetes doesn't?
For starters, breast cancer deeply scares people, affects mostly women, tugs at our emotions, and generally gets our attention in a big way when we hear about a friend or family member with a diagnosis. And breast cancer reigns supreme among awareness, advocacy and funding.
Too far down the respect scale, too many of the people afflicted with or at risk of diabetes don't understand the severity of the illness. There's a lack of fear due to a lack of education, real appreciation for the devastation diabetes can cause. We are nationally unobsessed with diabetes, unfortunately. (more...)
