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For the third year, Harry Keefe ’83 will participate in cycling events known as Get Your Guts in Gear to boost public awareness about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and raise money for patient support, patient education, advocacy work, and research.
Crohn’s disease causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, usually attacking the small or large intestines. Crohn’s and the related disease ulcerative colitis are part of a larger group of illnesses known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), characterized by an abnormal, inappropriate response by the immune system. It is estimated that as many as 1.4 million people have IBD.
“Participating in these events is important to me because my daughter has Crohn’s disease,” says Keefe. “After being diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2004, she has taken daily medication, spent time in the hospital, and undergone a number of surgeries. Because the disease has no known cause or cure, I felt that it was critical to do what I could.”
Keefe has committed to three GYGIG events this year. He will cycle from LaGrange to Austin, Texas, in March; from Manhattan to Saratoga Springs in upstate New York in June; and around Whidbey Island and the Skagit Valley in northwestern Washington State in August. Collectively the nine days of cycling will amount to more than 650 miles or about 180,000 peddle strokes, according to Keefe, who feels ready for the challenge.
“That’s the easy part,” he says. “I am more concerned with the overwhelming medical, emotional, physical, and social issues that my daughter and individuals with IBD must cope with. There has to be a better level of awareness about these diseases and more funds to find a cure.”
To contribute to Keefe’s fundraising, reference him (rider # 9) at the Get Your Guts in Gear web site. Mailed donations noting rider #9 can be sent to GYGIG, 593 Vanderbilt Ave., PMB 108, Brooklyn, NY 11238.