Anniversary Ride for the ACHA

I am a 1%'er:

Not the way you typically think though, I'm 1 of the 100 kids born today with a congenital heart defect. When I was born in 1982 the stats of survival were not so great and my parents were told to "not get too attached." But thanks to the medicine, technology, and advances in care at the time, kids like me have been fortunate to grow up and live full lives. However, that has created a new challenge in medicine, which is to monitor and treat adults with these pediatric defects. Thankfully, the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) exists and helps with research, outreach, and education that is needed to take these challenges head on.

The Challenge:

July 17th marks my 32nd anniversary since my first and only open heart surgery, a day that we celebrate in my family like a birthday, because in some ways that was the day we knew things were going to be fine for a while. And statistically speaking, I'm super fortunate to only have had to have one procedure in my life.

This year I'm going to repeat a challenge from two years ago, but instead of just doing it for me, I want to do it for all of the "kids" out there that will need the good work of the ACHA someday. So this Saturday July 17th (or Sunday July 18th) I'm going to jump onto my (indoor) bike and drop at least 33 miles (one for each year + one extra for good luck) - however - for every $100 over $3000 we raise I'll add another mile up to 50.

To make it interesting, I'll send a special thank you to the person who donates the most.

More information about Adult Congenital Heart Association:

The mission of the Adult Congenital Heart Association is to improve and extend the lives of the millions born with heart defects through education, advocacy and research. We do this through a wide and growing range of programs, services and activities. These include our National and Regional Conferences, accreditation program, educational materials, website, outreach and advocacy efforts, research program, and events to raise money and increase awareness.