The 2012 ride has concluded! Click to learn more about the 4100 mile journey.
Michaela Cui started Greater than Graves' with her 2011 ride from Anchorage to San Francisco. Click to learn more
Click for a day-by-day breakdown of the route for this year's 4000 mile ride.
The 2012 GTG Ride team is equipped with a trackable GPS updater. Click to view today's progress.
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.
