Provide life-saving medicine and supplies

The goal is to raise $4 for every mile to care for 100 patients living with diabetes in our community

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The goal is to raise $4 for every mile to care for 100 patients living with diabetes in our community

Local endurance bike racers taking action to help those struggling with diabetes

On June 10th, Dr. Christopher Schmidt and Ezra Ward-Packard will be racing 2673 miles from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico in the 2022 Tour Divide. Chris and Ezra have teamed up to raise funds for diabetic care at Open Arms Free Clinic of Walworth County, WI. Their goal is to raise $4 for every mile they will complete while racing the Tour Divide. The funds raised will go towards treating diabetic patients at Open Arms who are unable to afford the medical care and equipment they need to survive.

For Ezra, racing bikes and diabetes have always been connected. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, Ezra would go on to race as a semi-professional road cyclist for Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all diabetic professional cycling team. Throughout his life as a diabetic, there have been multiple times where Ezra was underinsured or didn’t have health insurance at all, leaving him to wonder how he would be able afford the medical supplies he needed to survive. Thankfully Ezra was always able to get the vital medicine he needed. For many diabetics this simply isn’t the case.

As an anesthesiologist for Mercyhealth Hospital­–Walworth, Dr. Schmidt witnesses firsthand the challenges and complications of having diabetes, but on a personal level his relationship with the disease goes back much further. His mother was a Type 1 diabetic who often had to choose putting food on the table over paying for the necessary medical care and equipment she needed as numerous complications, hospitalizations, and failed kidney-pancreas transplants contributed to mounting medical debts. Ultimately, diabetes took her life at the young age of 46 (Dr. Schmidt is now 47) following multiple complications after open heart surgery. Whether in the operating room or on his bicycle racing the Tour Divide, Dr. Schmidt is fueled with a passion to make a difference in the lives of those living with diabetes.

Without insurance, the cost of the supplies needed to properly treat diabetes can be in the thousands of dollars per month. Even with insurance, many diabetics are forced to pay out of pocket for the medical equipment and care that they need to live. The consequences of not being able to afford the medical care and equipment required by a person with diabetes are truly devastating and ultimately life-threatening.

Serving low-income, uninsured residents of Walworth County since 2012, Open Arms Free Clinic provides free medical care that includes doctor visits, labs, medications and referrals. A private nonprofit supported by community donations and volunteers, all the services are free for qualifying individuals of all ages. Open Arms also provides free dental care and behavioral health counseling to ensure the whole person has access to health services.

With a goal to raise at least $4 per mile of the Tour Divide route, the funds raised will provide the insulin, blood glucose monitors, and supplies for 100 patients cared for at Open Arms Free Clinic in 2022. Your donation truly does have the power to change someone’s life for the better and for that we thank you!

Follow along with Ezra and Chris’ LIVE GPS race progress starting June 10th at: www.trackleaders.com/tourdivide22