Isn't 65 when life is supposed to slow down? Not for Dove Zugarramurdi.
The 65-year-old social work graduate student is preparing to embark on a 545-mile bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles as part of the AIDS LifeCycle Ride.
"The fight against HIV/AIDS has always been a passion for me, stemming from the days when I was a medical assistant in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s," Zugarramurdi said. "During those first days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic I lost many friends to this disease."
The ride will take place June 5-11 and is expected to have more than 3,000 participants. Last year's fundraiser raised approximately $10 million to prevent HIV infection and care for those living with HIV/AIDS. Zugarramurdi hopes to raise $3,000 to support this year's effort.
"I have seen the progress made over the years, but there is still so much to be done," Zugarramurdi said. "This is my way of helping all those, and especially the families and the children, now infected with HIV/AIDS."
This year's fundraiser marks the 30th anniversary of the first case of AIDS reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
