Challenged Athlete

Challengedathlete.org was on the news tonight (not KSL News -- still boycotting that one). Challenged Athletes is a foundation that I've been looking at for a few years. I'm about to submit my application for a new hand cycle through them.

I have a hand cycle, but it became very obvious to me three years ago when I did the Salt Lake City Half Marathon that my hand cycle is grossly out of date. I can't afford a new $5,000 bike, so Challenged Athletes is the only way I'm going to get a new one.

I was blessed 13 years ago to have an incredible friend, Chris Gremler (her husband was Steve, who was the pilot and my good friend that died in my airplane accident), who organized a 5k fun run to raise money to buy me a hand cycle. She organized her middle school students and they solicited their family and friends for donations if they ran the fun run.

The day of the race, it snowed 12 inches. And they still ran. I was still in the hospital, but I got out for a few hours to join the fun and watch as freezing kids and friends ran 3.2 miles in knee-deep snow. I cried. All day long. And they gave me $7,000 to buy a bike.

I bought several things that made my life better with the $7,000 but now, my bike is pitiful. It needs to be replaced. So I'm submitting an application this year for a new one. (I don't have a few $X,XXX sitting around to buy it myself.)

If you ever have a chance to donate to Challenged Athletes, it's a great foundation. And there is an extreme-marathoner that is running 18 marathons in 18 days in Utah to raise money for the foundation. Hopefully, I'll get a new bike next year. The application is due in December and grants are awarded early 2010. I'll let you know if they award me a new hand cycle.

I've donated too.