Yes, we have a celebrity shot of me! Specially prepared for the shiny new press release from Heather (see below) we have this Colgated and Airbrushed picture of me.
The Great COFE
http://cofe.pledgepage.org/
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact Heather Lea
250-837-4676
hclea@telus.net
It Isn’t Everyone Who Can Bike 4000km With A Debilitating Disease
Tasmania, Australia, December 10, 2006
When Walter Van Praag was diagnosed at the age of ten with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a hereditary disease that progressively disables the whole body causing early death, advice from medical professionals were of little interest to him.
With curious spirit and a taste for the extraordinary, Walter began a life devoid of self-pity and flourishing with adventurous pursuits.
Somewhere between camping in Sinai war-zones, traveling with a fake blind-guide dog named Shady, living one month in a cave on the island of Crete and accidentally scaling a jail wall in Northern Greece, Walter schemed his next, more legal adventure, the Great Cystic Orient Fibrosis Express, or COFE.
The Great COFE is a long distance bike ride set to start on July 28 th, 2007 at the base of the Eiffel Tower and ending some 3935 kms (2445 miles) later in Istanbul at the Pera Palas Hotel. The ride itself will take approximately 70 days, with a daily riding average of 63km (39miles). Stops along the way will include Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade.
“Be cause I think I can cough 4000 kilometers on my bicycle,“ states Walter, “I want to encourage other people with CF to get out and cough, too!”
The average survival rate for a person with CF is 36.8 years. Walter, at 41 years of age, is already an anomaly and no doubt, an inspiration to other CF sufferers.
“OK, so I cough a lot and take a bunch of pills, but no migraines, no fits, no dementia…”
With Walter’s lung capacity at less than 40% it is like breathing through a straw, or taking just half a breath at a time. Imagine yourself cycling just 4 kilometers like that.
Walter hopes that with a little luck, the Great COFE will help spread the news that living with CF doesn’t mean an incapacitated life and can even have some good points. “For instance,” he says, “I can eat MacDonald's in between meals, order deep fried food and add extra salt on doctors orders. Cholesterol is rarely detectable with CF.”
Although the disease keeps him from working full time, Walter is highly encouraged by his doctors to participate in the activities he loves, like sea kayaking, walking in the bush, backpacking, and taking photos.
Walter hopes for 50% or more of all monetary donations to go to CF Research Funds nominated by the major sponsor of each country.
For more information on the Great COFE and how you can help, visit http://cofe.pledgepage.org/
