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MURFREESBORO — Tracy Toy of Murfreesboro is on the road again.
Last year, her cycling team — Team AJ — for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure raised the most funds in the Middle Tennessee area. And this year, she’s serving as chair for the ADA Tour de Cure committee.
“(The Tour de Cure) was fun. I’d never done anything like that before. It was very rewarding,” said Tracy, who has already reassembled Team AJ for this year’s Nashville-area Tour de Cure on May 21.
Helping others isn’t something new to Tracy, however. As a registered nurse, she worked many years in the emergency room and later with an organ procurement agency — both jobs that dealt with matters of life and death. Albeit stressful, Tracy always felt like she was contributing to the greater good.
Canine rescue is another passion. She and her husband, Dr. Martin Toy, have been involved with various dog rescue groups over the years, from being volunteers, to donating, fostering and adopting.
“I made the choice to make a difference in my community,” said Tracy, who credits her husband’s support in all her community-minded efforts.
Drawn to Tour
But outreach efforts to help find a cure for diabetes took volunteerism to a whole new level for Tracy — a level very close to her heart.
Tracy stumbled upon the brochure for Tour de Cure last year, although she hadn’t ridden a bike in 20 years, and it piqued her interest. Then she started thinking about two of her friends’ children, Alex and Jillian, who suffer from juvenile diabetes.
For children who have juvenile (type 1) diabetes, “the body doesn’t produce insulin,” a hormone that helps turn glucose into energy for the body, Tracy explained. Juvenile diabetes, if left untreated, can be deadly. And because children are growing so fast, keeping blood sugar at normal levels can be tricky. Anytime a child gets sick, there is the risk that blood sugar will get off kilter, among other factors that can alter levels.
“I think that stinks, so I felt they needed to be honored,” Tracy said, noting that one in three Americans is affected by diabetes in some way. And thus, Team AJ — for Alex and Jillian — was born. Her first member was Erin Cayll, manager for Martin’s office. From there, the cycling posse grew to 20 members.
