health & fitness b;
THE PARK
LIVING
Saddle Up
I DIDN'T WANT TO BE
ALONE ANYMORE:'
Paul Fried
Special to the Jewish News
L
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32
July 28 - 2011
new recumbent bike
Cyclists to ride Kensington park
to help fight Crohn's and colitis.
"I JUST DECIDED THAT
Aeh
Paui Fried oh his
iN
ast August, the IN published an
article about a bicycle riding
event I started in 2008 to sup-
port the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
of America (CCFA). That first year, 27
riders participated; last year 70 riders
(and walkers) participated, and the
half-day event raised $10,000 in dona-
tions. Business sponsors generously
covered all expenses, so 100 percent
of the contributions went directly to
CCFA to help fund camp programs,
patient support and awareness groups,
educational literature, etc.
It is truly surprising how much
time and effort goes into organizing
even a small charity event such as
this one, but helping to support an
organization like CCFA is well worth
the effort. The added benefit is bring-
ing together people like me who have
Crohn's disease or colitis as well as
other individuals who ride on behalf
of family members or friends suf-
fering from one of these chronic and
debilitating illnesses. Listening to
many of these riders share their sto-
ries is incredibly inspiring, especially
considering the difficult health issues
they have faced daily for most of their
lives. Organizing this annual event has
become an important part of my life,
and it's easy to understand why.
The funny thing about life, however,
is that it can throw you a curve ball
when you least expect it. My youngest
daughter was diagnosed with ulcer-
ative colitis just days before last year's
event. How ironic it is that she has
lived with the chronic health issues
of a parent throughout her entire life
and yet she must now look forward
to a remaining lifetime of similar
health issues herself. Her illness only
strengthens my purpose for raising
funds and awareness for CCFA.
As if things couldn't get any worse,
I was in a bike riding accident just
two days after last year's event. The
mishap occurred while I was riding
with friends not far from my home.
Although I had a long hospitaliza-
tion and recovery period, I consider
myself very fortunate. All of the inju-
ries healed well, and I just recently
resumed the sport again.
Life is full of compromises; mine
was to switch from the road bike I had
used for many years to a totally differ-
ent type of bicycle, one that would be
safer and reduce the chance of addi-
tional injuries in the future. I did a lot
of research, and even traveled out of
state to test ride some unusual bikes.
I finally settled on a "Catrike 700,"
which is a low-profile, three-wheeled
recumbent bike specifically designed
for speed. I cannot describe how won-
derful it feels to be back on the road
after a nine-month hiatus.
Now that things are pretty much
back to normal, my focus is on orga-
nizing the fourth annual "Paul Fried
Charity Ride to Support the Crohn's
& Colitis Foundation Of America" on
Saturday, Aug. 20, starting at 8:30 a.m.
The event will once again be located at
Kensington Metropark in Milford. My
goal is to increase this year's partici-
pation and contributions in excess of
the previous year totals.
To donate, participate or obtain
additional information, visit the
event website: online.ccfa.org/
paulfriedcharityride2011.
You can also email paf123@aol.
corn to have forms and informa-
tion sent by email or postal mail.
Business sponsors ($300 mini-
mum) can help cover the costs
of the event. Sponsors will have
their company name and/or logo
printed on the back of the event
T-shirts.