Sarah – A cool kitty with 15 lives.
This is Sarah. Sarah is pretty bad ass. Sarah is a registered nurse. Sarah has had many jobs. She’s been a diabetes coach, a nutrition specialist, a volunteer, a fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes research and an event coordinator among many other things.
She is also a survivor. She has survived love, school, loss, more school, crisis, debt, age (in that way that old bikes and old parents demand that we provide constant maintenance as they age), and life in general. On top of that she has an unfriendly life companion named Type I diabetes that she hangs around with.
You could say that Sarah is like a kitty-cat, but she’s lived well over 9 lives. More like 15 or so.
You could also say that she likes helping people, and that would be an understatement. But what fuels someone like Sarah?
I wish I knew, because what ever it is, it always leaves a smile on her face.
Despite being diagnosed with Type I diabetes, Sarah has never let her condition get the best of her. In fact, she’s been a pretty incredible athlete for most of her life – much of that on two wheels of one kind or another.
She was diagnosed at 21 with what used to be called “Juvenile Onset” diabetes. She explained to me that this rare type of diabetes is an auto-immune disorder where the body doesn’t produce it’s own insulin. Since her diagnosis she has tested and trained on several cutting-edge solutions for insulin management and delivery. She currently wears a small pump that makes the old syringe kit a vestige of the last century.
On the last ride that we went on together, her insulin levels dropped and I got to see first hand what diabetes was capable of. Insulin is a hell of a hormone. It serves many functions in the body, but if your body can’t make it, then it triggers your fight or flight response. You can read about our last ride here, but let’s just say that Sarah’s body decided to go into def-con 3 while we were ass deep in the twisties.
Sarah also reminds me of a cat because, despite the many ledges that she’s fallen off over the years, she always seems to land on her feet. And she has a Cheshire grin and twice the strength when she pops back up to start all over again! Seriously, what is she made of!?
In fact, part of her entry into motorcycling can be best summed up by a time in her life when she was struggling like that kitten in the famous “Hang In There” poster. Here she is in her own words:
“-to add to my story of “getting in to motorcycling” was there was an unexpected life changing event that took my identity away [and] left me to redefine myself. I hit a low that embodied a “fuck it” attitude, not caring what OTHER people thought, and buying my own motorcycle in spite of someone else’s opinion. Riding a motorcycle allowed me to have SOME power in my life when everything else was falling apart. Feeling the response of the wind from opening the throttle, feeling the road beneath me, feeling the turns in a road with speed and power reminded me that I was still alive. I lost my passion for life and riding changed that by empowering me. I was alone but riding took away the feeling of aloneness. And I see this as a similar story for other women riders, as well. Riding a motorcycle is somehow freeing and empowering.”
Damn. That’s a beautiful take away, my feline friend. Again, another woman rider who extracts the passion of life through the feel of riding. The road and travel is a powerful and necessary drug sometimes.
Speaking of travel, did I mention that Sarah is a world traveler and a speed demon on two wheels? She’s traveled almost half of the world and ridden the other half. If she’s not popping wheelies on vintage 2-stroke scooters, she can be found wearing out the seats on her bicycles. This week she decided to drop in to the podcast and talk about her travels and all of her motorbeasts.
We talked about Babes Ride Out which is an annual ladies-only ride. Since no boys are allowed, I got to live vicariously for a moment and had my peek behind the secret curtain of Babes. She also imparted some sweet tips for packing supplies be it for a motorcycle weekend or a hike across the Alps. They are basically the same thing, right?
At any rate, check out the show here for more of Sarah and I as we laugh our way through some good times and two-wheeled banter. And guys, if you’re single and not a total dickhead, Sarah is free if you can catch her!
-Cheers