Troy A. McManus Will Take 400 Mile Ride to Support the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America

Troy A. McManus, a supply Sergeant with the 82nd Airborne's 3-4 Air Defense Artillery Regiment, has recently returned from his second tour in Iraq and as if serving our country by putting his life at risk isn't enough, he is now training for a charity bike ride across North Carolina to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

He has decided to ride from the North Carolina/Tennessee border to the Atlantic coast and needs support, whether it be monetary, a prayer, or just an e-mail with words of encouragement, Troy would greatly appreciate it. He would also be grateful for anyone who could pass this information on to their friends and family. Right now his goal is to raise $50,000 and complete this ride in seven days but with variable weather it could take as long as two weeks to make this 400 mile trip.

Cycling has been Troy's passion but he began serious training when he returned to the States in April to meet his goal of making this trip in September, when he plans on making the journey by himself. Troy has hopes that after making this ride by himself that he will open it up to the public and invite other riders to make the trip with him on an annual basis.

Troy has decided to do this ride to support the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America because his family has dealt with Crohn's disease first hand and he wants to raise awareness about this disease as well as raise money for research. Troy's brother Todd was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when he was only 13 years old and has dealt with this troubling disease for the last 31 years, being in and out of hospitals several times and having all but 12 inches of his small intestine and all of his large intestine removed.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive track anywhere from the mouth to the anus and because the symptoms of Crohn's are similar to other, more common illnesses, it is often misdiagnosed. It is most diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 30 but can appear at any age. People manage to live with this horrible disease every day but Troy's wants to support more research so people won't have to.

If you would like more information on how you can help support Troy A. McManus on his adventure please contact him personally at crankinforcrohns@aol.com