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Greater Than Graves'

Ride for Charity

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Graves' Disease

Graves' disease, is a potentially debilitating autoimmune disease. There are more than 3 million people with Graves' disease in the US alone. Women are more than 10 times likely to be affected than men. Graves' disease attacks the thyroid which may cause extreme weight loss, muscle weakness, rapid heartbeat, depression, stress, confusion and other health issues. One of the most embarrassing symptoms can be "bulging eyes" which unfortunately has affected me as well. This is what the late actor Marty Feldman was well known for.

The 2012 Ride

Welcome to Greater than Graves'

Meet The Founder

My name is Michaela Cui and I'm a systems engineer for Boeing Space Systems. Last year I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS in aerospace engineering, minor in electrical engineering and a certificate in engineering management and I have Graves' Disease.

In 2010 I began having health related problems which quickly became a distraction to my studies. In October after a routine doctor's visit, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease. Many of my activities were put on hold while I underwent treatment for this condition. With all my activities suddenly taken from me, I began to feel alone and uncertain of my future. So I decided to do something about it and focused my energies on building awareness and understanding of this disease that affects so many people.

So with new focus, I planned, organized and participated in the first Greater Than Graves 3,000 mile bike ride for charity event which began on June 1st in Anchorage, Alaska. We rode for 50 days and ended the journey upon crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California (see 2011 blog).

Since then I've had my thyroid removed and just recently underwent orbital decompression surgery for my eyes. I've tried to keep up on my blog status to share my experiences with the hope that someone else out there will know that they are not alone

This year, a new team of riders will take on Michaela's Greater Than Graves challenge and begin a 4,080 mile, 59 day bicycle trip from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California.

As last year, this event will benefit the Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation, a 501(C) (3) organization. For more than 21 years, the Foundation has been a leading source of help and hope for those diagnosed with Graves' disease.

As the 2012 GTG team members, Elias, Keating and David make their way across the US, additional riders will be able to join in along the way and participate making this both a local and national fund raising event.

If you'd like to participate, please take a look at the event schedule on the 2012 Ride page to see when the team will be passing through your area. We'll have a registration page up soon but in the mean time, please contact us directly if you'd like to participate.

Individual and Corporate sponsors are still needed. Please consider a donation to this worthy cause!

The need for awareness about Graves' Disease is great. Millions of people are coping with the symptoms of Graves' daily. Many more have no idea that they have the disease. Those of you suffering from this disease are not alone and I hope that our efforts will bring about awareness and positive change for those afflicted with Graves' disease. This site is a place to find answers, hope and the inspiration to do something that truly makes you feel Greater Than Graves!