12 Health & wellness
www.BeaconSeniorNews.com
June 2014
Bike for the Cure: Bicycling grandmas travel 800 miles to raise awareness, funds for Huntington’s disease
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MONTH
arie Nemec, 70, and Charlotte Gary Heiman, 74, of Ohio joins Reicks, 78, of Grand Junction Nemec and Reicks for his fourth ride will embark on their 16th annual with Bike for the Cure. His wife, bicycle Barb, is a sojourney to cial worker the National for HunHuntington’s tington’s Disease disease Convention families in in Louisville, the ColumKentucky on bus area. He June 20-22. is an exTheir first perienced ride took rider whose place in bicycle 1999, when cyclomthey traveter will eled coast to hit 43,000 coast some From left: Jim Crumly, Judy Luebke, Ron Nemec and Marie miles this 3,000 miles. Nemec with Dickie Martin, who recently passed away from month. He The distance Huntington’s disease. rode his has gradually decreased as the two first century (100 miles in a day) last “bicycling grandmas” age, but this year during the ride from Galveston, year’s ride will cover 800 miles in Texas to Jacksonville, Florida. 13 days, starting in Sault Ste. Marie, In 2009, Amy Mack of Michigan Michigan on June 7 and will follow learned that the father of her chilthe Dixie Highway to Louisville. dren was diagnosed with HD, makThe 2014 ing them at Bike for the risk to inherit Cure aims to the defecraise awaretive gene. In ness and funds 2011, she rode for families from Maine to suffering from Florida (1,600 Huntington’s miles) raising disease, as awareness and well as fundfunds for HD. ing research This is her first for a cure. This ride with Bike year’s ride is For The Cure. dedicated to Although Shanna Turek Kathy Lindner and Dickie of Michigan Martin, both bicycles thouwhom recently sands of miles passed away each year to Marie Nemec and Charlotte Reicks bicycle over 800 from HD. work, this will miles to raise funds for Huntington’s disease research Neither Nembe her first and local people with HD and their families. ec nor Reicks “long ride.” have the defective HD gene in their The plight of HD families has touched families, but are friends with those Lindner through close friends, who that have been affected by HD. are gene positive and at risk.