Monday, June 04, 2007

A Special 'Tour de Cure'

I ran into (almost literally) Miss Jess on the bike trail tonight.

She is gearing up for the Tour De Cure (see here), a charity bike ride for Diabetes.

I have made a donation at a level that gets names put on her team's shirts. It is a memorial for my Uncle Nick and my cousin Gail.

Nick had diabetes late in life, and lost both legs to it. He was a true character and put a lot of sunlight into my first few months in Ontario where I went to grad school. Though he had plenty of reasons to be dour, he could cheer a room like nobody's business.

Gail, his daughter, passed away from breast cancer. She was one of the sweetest people I have ever met.

They are survived by my beloved Aunt Millie and her daughter Karen. Karen is truly warm and generous. Aunt Millie worked hard as a waitress until she was 60+. She would get up at 5 am to catch the bus, and upon returning home, could tell a routine story about a customer and have you crying from laughing so hard. She is the best.

Good luck, Jess!

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