Dan Giancola is about to take the ride of this life. Literally.

The St. Catharines Standard details his mission to raise more than $100,000 for Abbi, a nine-year-old girl fighting a very rare, life threatening illness called cystinosis.

Cystinosis is a condition that damages the kidneys, brain, eyes, and a host of other organs. Abbi, who is from Canada, is only one of 50 known cystinosis cases in the country.

Giancola, 45, and Abbi first met at an event for children fighting challenging illnesses and quickly became buds. And now, Giancola will seal their friendship when he embarks on an expedition to cycle 1,800 kilometers from New Brunswick to Thorold; the money raised during his trip will go towards cystinosis research, all while raising awareness for the disease.

For Our Non-Metric Folks, Giancola is Biking a Whopping 1,100 Miles for Abbi’s Cystinosis!

It seems that taking arduous trips long distances on a bicycle is a trend within the cystinosis community. We cheer Giancola on as he continues and succeeds in his.

“Only 2,000 people are affected across the world and nobody knows about it,” Giancola said. “As soon as you mention cystinosis, the response is ‘what’s that.’”

Thankfully, for the most part, Abbi is doing well. But because of her condition, she regularly has to see kidney specialists, endocrinologists, eye specialists, and help for the issues she has with her knees. But despite the challenges, Abbi is thankful for the opportunities she has and the friend she found in Giancola.

August 1st Giancolaad his brother started their trip. Once he makes it to the end, Abbi will be there waiting for him with hugs and congratulations.

“This is the ride of my life,” Giancola tells the St. Catharines Standard. Period.

The only way you can truly show support for Giancola and Abbi is to strap on a helmet and hop on that bicycle…. or you can click one of those buttons below and share this inspiring story. Either works :).