<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

We've just learned that Regina Erskine has been in a very bad accident,
is pretty banged up, but is going to be all right.  I've copied the
latest update from her website below to fill you in on the details.  To
send her your well wishes, visit her website at
http://www.c2c4celiac.info/ and click on the Message Board, or go
directly to her blog page at http://reginasride.blogspot.com/   You may
also send her a personal email at  [log in to unmask]

She is still planning to celebrate her grand finale in Portland, Maine
on July 2.   We have plenty of reservations still available, so please
send your check to reserve your meal before June 15!  Let's all come out
to give her a great welcome back and show our support for her great
accomplishments!    Of course, if you are unable to attend, donations
to "Coast to Coast for Celiac" would be gladly accepted and appreciated.

MEAL RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED:  $15.00 per person.
Gluten-free food will be provided by Outback Steakhouse (steak, chicken,
garlic mashed potatoes, salad, and dessert).  Smoothies and Water will
be provided by Wild Oats Marketplace.
Reservations deadline is June 15.    To make reservations, please may
make your checks payable to "Coast to Coast for Celiac" and mail to:
Paula Raleigh
130 Kimball Corner Road
Naples, ME 04055
Please let me know your name, how many meals, and your phone number in
case we need to contact you.  Also, please indicate your choice of
either steak or chicken.

Proceeds to benefit the "Coast to Coast for Celiac" Campaign.  This
Grand Finale Celebration is being co-sponsored by:
University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation
Celiac Sprue Association Chapter #88 - Portland Maine Celiac/DH Support
Group
City of Portland Department of Health and Human Services


      *******************************************************************


      A Very, Very, Very Bad Day

When you start out on a bike trip like this, you make a lot of plans and
assumptions. You make plans for the route that you're going to take, how
long it will take, and if all goes just according to plan, that you'll
finish up on a certain date and everything will be all smiles and joy
and fond memories. It will never rain, the hills won't be so bad, the
people will be nice, nothing will go wrong with the bike, and there
won't be any accidents.

Well, on Wednesday I was in an accident.

We had left the town of Marvel, Arkansas and were excited because we
were about to cross over the Mississippi River, a symbolic moment in any
cross-country trip. We had only made it about 4 miles when suddenly,
disaster struck. A pick-up truck hit me as he passed by me, sending me
off the road in a tumble. I was scraped up pretty badly, and my back
hurt. The driver didn't even stop, but witnesses to the accident had
gotten his license plate number, and he was later apprehended by the
police. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to the local hospital
in Helena, AR. I had a pretty severe case of "road rash" (which are all
the surface cuts you get when you roll around on the pavement) on my
right arm and leg, and on my left leg, and on my stomach, and, well,
pretty much everywhere. And I also found out that I had a compressed
fracture of one of my vertebrae. I was devastated. All my plans and
goals had been wiped out in an instant by one careless driver.

The hospital in Helena was a small local hospital, and I wanted a second
opinion. So we drove up to Memphis, TN to a larger hospital and had them
examine me. They took X-rays and did a CAT-scan of my back, and
concurred with the diagnosis of a compressed fracture. They have told me
to stay off the bike for a little while. With time and rest, I will
heal, but for right now, I am still in a lot of pain.

Part of that pain is knowing that I cannot finish what I had set out to
do, which was to ride my bicycle from San Diego to Portland, ME and to
spread awareness of celiac disease. I know that I have accomplished much
already, but it still seems like I haven't completed the job. I am
currently looking at my options from here. I know that I cannot stick to
the original plan, but I am hoping that I can still complete this "coast
to coast" ride in some fashion. Right now, I'm thinking that instead of
riding all the way to Maine, I will ride from here to the nearest coast
(probably Savannah, GA or Charleston, SC), dip my wheel in the Atlantic
and call it quits there. If my back is bothering to the point where I
cannot ride even that far, then Alex will finish the ride for me and
then we'll head back to Maine. We still plan on having our finishing
celebration on July 2 in Portland, as I believe we still have much to
celebrate. Even today, while we were resting and recouperating at a
hotel in Tunica, MS, I was able to get on a local radio show and do a
five-minute interview (you can listen to the interview by going to this
site http://www.audiovegas.com/Schiffer/Archives/ and clicking on "June
4, 2005." My interview starts at about the 2hr.13 minute mark). In a
weird way, being hit by a truck gives my story more of a kick, and it
makes me more "newsworthy." Whatever it takes, right? Well, even I
wouldn't go that far...

So I wish that I could say that everything is going fine, but it's not.
I try to tell myself that it could have been much worse, and that I'm
lucky to be in one piece. I will try to overcome this, and to finish
what I have started if at all possible. Stay tuned to the website, and I
will let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for all your well-wishes.

Regina

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