The story starts more than a year ago when I met Ed and Tim Blach on the Elephant Rock ride in Castle Rock. As usual for these big group rides I was wearing my Team BEEF jersey to remind other riders that beef provides "fuel for the finish" (as I cruise past them on the last 20 miles of a century ride!). To make a long story short Ed and Tim's brother Randy works in the same building as I do and is a good friend in the beef community.
Nearly 50 cyclists rode in the 2012 Colorado Bike MS as part of Patty's Pack. |
In the words of Patty's daughter Hannah...
"As many of you know, my mom, Patty Metzler passed away due to complications with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2007. Throughout her life she enjoyed many activities including playing softball for Colorado State University in her college days, raising 5 children, and sharing a lust for life with everyone she knew. It was only when MS disrupted her day to day abilities that she had to give up some of her joys in order to focus on her health.
"Patty was 26 years old when she first remembers missing a step and falling outside of a department store. Next it was the numb limbs on her left side, or sometimes she just couldn't get her smile muscles to work on her face. One thing led to another and she was eventually confined to a wheelchair. Though you would have thought this would dampen Patty's spirit, the exact opposite happened. My mom gave others the courage to face their insurmountable daily challenges while saddled to her own every day. She never complained, and when people would ask her how she dealt with her MS so well, all Patty would say is, this is what God has blessed me with.
"For those of you that did not know my mom, she
was a very kind, loving and compassionate person. I miss her dearly, but this ride helps
me to keep her memory alive, and hopefully in the future rid the world of MS."
I met Hannah on the Bike MS ride this past weekend and am happy to report that Patty lives on through her daughter's spirit and determination to eradicate the world of MS. |
Five of the original six members of Patty's Pack. From left: Ed Blach (Patty's brother), Darci Jones Blach, Hannah Metzler Long (Patty's daughter), Kyle Blach, and Tim Blach (Patty's brother) |
In promoting my fundraising efforts for the Bike MS ride I learned that a high school classmate, Kathy Reagan Young, lives with MS. I dedicated my ride to Kathy, carrying her on my back as Patty's "wings" carried me through the two-day ride. Check out Kathy's FUMS blog for more of her story. |
I set a personal goal this year to raise $5,000. Going into the ride this past weekend I had raised just over half that. I could stop there and feel good about what I accomplished, after all that's a lot more than most people raise. But after meeting Hannah this weekend I am determined to reach my goal and help my new team reach ours.
I finished the 2012 Bike MS ride but have not yet reached my fundraising goal so the effort is not over! |
Please visit my BEEFMAN fundraising page and join the effort. Contribute whatever you can afford: $10, $25, $50, $100 ... every dollar gets us closer to our goal. Experience the feeling of what it's like to be part of something bigger than yourself. Then next year join the team and ride with the Pack!
Ride on,
Daren
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