PEDALING for a cure
Norman teachers ride bikes to raise money to fight diabetes
Norman teachers ride bikes to raise money to fight diabetes

By Jennifer Griswold

Published: April 22, 2008

NORMAN — When Pat Morgan and Mary Anne Tullius decided to jump back on their bicycles after more than 30 years, it wasn't all smooth pedaling.

"I pedaled down to the end of the street and fell over,” Tullius said.

The two women, both Norman schoolteachers, have dusted off their bikes to raise money for diabetes research.

Morgan and Tullius have known each other since the eighth grade. When Morgan's son, Mack, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes six years ago, they became involved in activities through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

They are now over 50 and have a couple of bad knees and a hip replacement between them, but they aren't letting age or a few aches and pains stop them from reaching their goal: helping to find a cure for diabetes.

"If we don't start doing something now to find a cure or fix our lifestyles, we are going to be in trouble,” said Tullius, a physical education teacher at Truman Elementary School.

More than 24 million Americans have diabetes, according to foundation research, and the numbers are increasing.

The women will ride in a foundation-sponsored, 100-mile bike ride in September in Whitefish, Mont. They have set a goal of raising $4,000 each for the diabetes foundation.

"All the money we raise goes directly to diabetes research,” said Morgan, who teaches second grade at Eisenhower Elementary School. "This is a cause we believe in. It affects lots of children and adults we know. We're just doing our part to help find a cure.”

The two women have begun their training for the ride. They bike three days a week and will build up their distance.

"We don't care about being the fastest,” Tullius said. "We just want to get across the line in one piece.”

They also are working to educate students about diabetes. Students from Eisenhower Elementary School, where Morgan teaches, raised more than $3,700 for diabetes research this month through a school walk and other classroom activities.

The money will go toward Morgan and Tullius' fundraising goals. Two of Eisenhower's students have type 1 diabetes, so the cause was important to the school's staff and students, said Morgan.

The school's staff also used the fundraiser as an opportunity to educate students about diabetes: What causes it and how it affects the body; and the importance of exercise and proper nutrition.

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