June 2
It's the helmet I always suspected I needed, now where's that yo-yo?
This is not a real entry. This is my message to let you all know that I got my rider number. I am officially #1286. This is my asking you all to sponsor me on this ride. It's a long ride, it's an enormous, frightening ride. It's something that I'm doing because it scares the shit out of me. It's because AIDS is horrible and it's because there but for the grace of what/whoever you believe in, go I. And you. And any one of your loved ones. Have you lost a friend to AIDS? I have.
I am 29 years old, and it is long past the time for me to do something like this. I can not, will not, be able to do it without sponsors. I do not know what I can give to you for your kindness and generosity. A phone call? A letter? A card? My unfailing gratitude and thankfulness for your believing in me enough to sponsor me? You will have my respect, to be sure, because you will be part of the solution, delivered through me.
I have not yet figured out if online donations are possible. I have sent email to my rider representative to find out. Until that time, please download the pdf form. (Note: if you need to download reader, you can do that here.) Also, let me know who you are and how much you're giving, along with a way for me to get in touch with you. I'm not certain that someone will actually let me know after donations are made. Again, I am rider #1286, and that needs to be clearly written on the top of the pledge sheets.
If you are interested in sponsoring William, too, which would be absolutely amazing, he is rider #1285. I don't know how he'll thank you. Maybe he'll come to your house and fix your breaks or hammer down that creaky step you've been meaning to get around to.
In any case, this is the beginning, I feel, of something that is going to change my life. I'm not thinking in terms of if I finish or if I raise the money, but when. How it's going to feel to cross the finish line in the city I love more than any other. How amazing it will be to do this as part of a team with a dear friend. How blessed & lucky I am to be strong and healthy and alive and capable of doing something for someone else.
It's truly a heady feeling, and you will be my first step. Please email me and let me answer questions you might have, or to let me know of your pledge. If you'd prefer to mail it directly to me, which would be fabulous, too, I'll give you details via email.
