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On October 1, 2002, Dudley Glover,
an insulin-dependent diabetic who also has coronary heart complications,
began a 50-day, 500-mile walk along an ancient footpath that stretches
from the eastern most end of Spain, near France, to the western end,
near the Atlantic. His walk was a crusade designed to increase awareness
of the ravages of diabetes and to demonstrate the many benefits
of walking. |
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This Web site is a chronicle of that
walk as he progressed along the way. Narrative and photos were
added via a laptop computer, a digital camera, and a portable
telephone.
Two years earlier, in September, 2000, Dudley underwent quadruple
cardiac bypass surgery. Before his surgery, he couldn't even walk
50 steps to his mailbox. A few days after the operation, the nurses
had him up and walking back and forth, up and down the hallway.
Three days later he was released from the hospital with the admonition
that he must get regular exercise. He started walking every day.
Within weeks he was walking half a mile and within a month, he
made it to a mile. Then he got up to at least three to five miles
a day, five days a week. He feels great and his latest cardiac
stress tests showed a remarkable recovery of his heart's functioning.
Diabetes is a major contributor to vascular disease and coronary
heart failure, as well as the leading cause of blindness, limb
amputation, and kidney failure. He knows first hand how devastating
the disease can be. Watching his diabetic mother struggling with
blindness and dialysis were sobering experiences for Dudley and
has been one of his incentives for taking care of himself. He
was determined not to let it happen to him. He decided to walk
to save his life. And now he's hoping to inspire others to walk
to save theirs.
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