What a Week !

What a Week !

This post comes at the end of a most eventful week in preparation for the ride.

Prior to last Sunday, for about 2 weeks I had been suffering reoccurring, chills, fever and headaches.  They would onset right at supper time and last until morning.  Oddly, this would occur every other day.  In between, I would feel relatively fine.  Good enough on one day to get out to do a 40 mile training ride.  The problem was that I went to doctors, urgent care clinic and ended up one night at the ER with  high pulse rate and 102 fever.  What was wrong went undiagnosed until last Sunday.

During Bible study at First Pres. of Urbana my close friend Louis Kehinde, diagnosed me with malaria.  Louis is from Nigeria, and has seen and experienced the symptoms numerous times.  Knowing that I had been to Africa last September, he was adamant.

Armed with that information I went to back my doctor the next day.  Tests were immediately ordered and within 3 hours malaria was diagnosed.  Within 4 hours I was on the proper medications.  I suffered thru some side effects of the massive doses of antimalarial the next day, but by Wednesday I was feeling terrific.  With the ride looming in the very near term, my thanks goes out to my doctor and his staff for their urgency in getting appointments set up with a specialist for follow-up care who gave me the “green light” for starting June 4!

A wide variety of tasks planned for the prior couple of weeks had gone undone.  Training had been  a priority, but had become a distant hope with how I was feeling.  Other preparations were put aside.  This is where God’s plan comes in…

I had originally planned to use Bike-the-Drive in Chicago as the final prep ride.  It has been a tradition for Memorial weekend with my son and daughter for several years.  I decided to forgo the ride to focus on other preparatory tasks.  I could fit in a local prep ride anyway.

Most importantly, Pastor Scott Keeble gave me the opportunity to speak about Ride for Water during this Sunday’s service.  To say I was touched and my spirit uplifted when I was surrounded by members for a blessing and laying on of hands is an understatment.  It was truly profound and  transformative.  To top it all, at the closing of the service, I was presented with a check from First Kids Sunday School for $63.72.  Wow!  The anticipated grades on the hills have become less steep, and the challenges less daunting knowing of the support expressed this morning.  I am humbled and I express the greatest appreciation from the depths of my heart.  Thank you!

Finally,  I want to share a letter of support and encouragement from my 9 year old niece, Anna Marcus of Greenwood, IN.  I am going to fold it up and take it along for the ride to serve as encouragement and inspiration during the inevitable challenges we will encounter.

A week from today we arrive in Portland,  totally uplifted and inspired.