Help us reach our fundraising goal!
http://www.ryot.org/campaigns/a-ride-with-matt

Woody Guthrie & Huntingtons Disease: a benefit with Country Joe McDonald, Marc Silber, Eric & Suzy Thompson, Peter Chung, and Adam Austin.

Special guest Joady Guthrie talking about his father and life with Huntington’s disease.

A Ride With Matt is a joint feature documentary about Huntington’s Disease as well as a charity fundraising effort. The film explores the history of the disease, who it effects, the families coping with it, and researchers and doctors looking for a cure. Through grass roots funding, sponsorship, and donations in-kind we are raising money for the feature documentary. All proceeds and additional money raised will be donated to HD Centers of Excellence for care giving, medical attention, counseling and support for research.

Get your tickets online or call 415.861.5016

A Ride With Matt is a joint feature documentary about Huntington’s Disease as well as a charity fundraising effort. The film explores the history of the disease, who it effects, the families coping with it, and researchers and doctors looking for a cure. Through grass roots funding, sponsorship, and donations in-kind we are raising money for the feature documentary. All proceeds and additional money raised will be donated to HD Centers of Excellence for care giving, medical attention, counseling and support for research.

Make a contribution and help Matt ride.

*The budget for the documentary has since changed due to how the project is evolving. See update video below for more information.

Hey all,

It’s Matt here and we have a new video out now.  It has been a while since the ride.  I miss it.  I  could have spent my whole life on that bike with those guys.  It really meant the world to me to be able to be a part of something like this.  I remember all the people on the side of the road cheering us on.  Riding small town to small town.  And those families that gave their time for our cause.  I couldn’t be more thankful about all the help we got.  From our free energy bars to the red juice.  All the goo gels that were so lovely to eat.  Lol.  With the crashes and the groin pull. Ripping off my bloody bandages every night to shower is also a great time.  But I had our team with me the whole journey.  I’m so glad that this movie has changed so many people as it has changed me. I really hope that not just HD patients or families, but everyone can find a little hope.  A little piece of happiness.  My goal is to change the world one person at a time for the better.  With this film I have blown that goal out of the water by inspiring the masses.  I hope you all are enjoying yourselves.  Take some time with your loved ones and live like you were dying.  Spread that message of love.

Sincerely,

Matthew Austin.

Today, just earlier today, something fantastic happened:

After hours of nervous sitting and waiting, and after months, years of tireless grant-writing, research, and failed attempts, today CIRM awarded $18,950,061 to UC Davis Stem Cell Program for the first stem cell clinical trial for Huntington’s disease. This is history in the making!

What a fantastic day for Dr. Jan Nolta, Dr. Vicki Wheelock, and the entire stem cell clinical trial team at UC Davis. Really, this step is groundbreaking, opens so many doors, and Matt and the entire Aletheia team on A Ride With Matt is excited for the next steps.

From everyone at Aletheia Films, and everyone graciously supporting Matt and the entire A Ride With Mattproduction, congratulations, and look forward to having us all behind the entire UC Davis stem cell force during these next, also crucial steps!

From MELISSA BILIARDI at Help 4 HD:  “Dr. Jan Nolta and Dr. Vicki Wheelock our heros of Huntington’s disease.”

THANK YOU KATE!

Throughout the entire 6-day journey, all of our riders, and even some of the crew when they could sneak it, enjoyed the nutrient-dense, tasty Tram Bars from Kate’s Real Food.  Thank you to Kate and her whole team for so generously providing this key support for the whole trip.

Click on the following link to read the full article, from Kate, about “A Ride With Matt” as well as a wonderful note from Cathy Peake, a new friend who we met up with in Albany, NY:

Kate’s Article on “A Ride With Matt”

The East Coast trip is over and all of the road trippers and the family and friends who have also been moving nonstop to meet us, greet us, support us, run entire events for us, and jump through giant, flame-covered hoops for us have all begun finally (hopefully) to finish all clean up and compile a giant “Lost and Found” list, and in general say farewell (until the Fall).

To smooth the pangs that probably come with these farewells, Matt and Adam have each written messages of thanks and many, many happy words for the memories of the trip.

MATT’S MESSAGE:

Hey guys its Matt here. Just thought I’d give a little piece of thanks for all the amazing things that have happened so far.
It brought me to tears after seeing how much everyone cares. It’s just been such an amazing ride out there. Through my severe lack of training, my groin pull, both of my crashes, and HD I still made it through. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without everyone’s love and support. So I thank all the family and our crew and all of our financial supporters for making this possible. I love you all and I hope you all had a great holiday.

ADAM’S MESSAGE:

At Logan airport heading back to work in North Carolina. Dropped the girls off at their gate and tried not to cried to much. The end of an amazing 2 weeks. Still processing all that happen on the Ride. We had the full run of emotions in 6 days. Many laughs, many tears, of joy, of pain, some from old wounds, some from old memories and some from memories just made. We met incredible people doing remarking things, like living with hope. We were treated to a wonderful dinner, lunch and a group supporters cheering us on the road. Our team became a family and little battle unit. Days filled with supporting riders and filming, nights filled with planning and laughter. Dreams fullfilled and expectations exceeded. Defeat was turned into triumph and harsh reality a tool to strive harder.
We touched many people along the way, and many touched us. My faith that kindness and compassion can change the world if even on a small scale, renewed.
This project has brough my family closer,it has freed us in many ways from the old bonds of HD. It has renewed our fight with this old foe. Our love, laughter and faith in the unbreakable Austin spirit is stronger than any disease. HD may wreck havoc on our bodies and minds but it will not have our souls.
All this happened because our friends and family believed in us. With their time, support, donations and love. Believed that as a community we are stronger. Believed that compassion and spirit can overcome tragedy. I am so grateful for all that you have done for Matt, my family, myself and for bringing hope to us all.

The ride continues, just as life does.

Adam

Now, as always, onwards.

Lowell, MA: The Sun’s “Local News” Covers the Finish Line

[http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_20996681/ride-matt-raises-funds-fight-huntingtons-disease]

The end of the beginning.

Today was supposed to be an easy finish.  Only 60 some-odd miles of riding, just a few hills, beautiful scenery, and so close to home and family and friends!  We all slept in (a bit), grabbed a quick breakfast and coffee at the Dunkin Donuts across the street, and set off with this image in our hearts and minds as what there was to look forward too upon our rival:

Thank you Carol!

And then there was a turn, a complicated juggling of watching the cyclist in front of him, and trying to stick some trash in his back jersey pouch.  Matt fell again.  This time it was a full flip over the handle bars.  The mood of the final day’s ride changed a bit after that, as everyone worked to help Matt get off his legs, hydrate, and carefully treat his injuries.  Jeremy’s boy scout training seemed to come out of nowhere as he helped Adam.  Matt rode the majority of the rest of the way to the Schades’ home in the car.

We all stopped for lunch in Fichtburg, made some calls, and re-planned the ride across the finish line.  Matt decided to spend as much time as possible resting in the car, hydrating, and icing his shoulder, all so that he’d be best able to hop back on his bike just for the final turn onto Michigan Rd. and the cheers and cowbells and arms of loved ones that awaited him.

Everyone’s now exhausted and spent.  Not just because of the ride, no, but because of the dunk tank in the Schades’ backyard, and because of the baseball, and the campfire and s’mores, and the music by Aaron and Adam Austin, and the tons of delicious food, and the huge house full of photographers and videographers that are grabbing moments and making them and the bonds of the people in them that much stronger because of their now permanence, and because of the many little voices, laughing, screaming, giggling, singing, that seem to be coming from every direction all at once and all the time, and because of the entire setting put together by the “grown-ups” of the family, who are just the same full-hearted, prank-loving, out-loud-laughing youngsters as their smaller counterparts.

This family is just as much the story we’re following and telling as it is Matt’s, because the family is very much Matt, what has played a large role in determining who he is now, and also who he will become.

BIGGEST DAY OF RIDING!

Thanks Downtube Bicycle Works for quick bike fix on Saturday!

We’ve hit the Berkshires.  Hills. Heat. Humidity.  Not to mention 81.6 miles and 7000ft of climbing.  Matt and Jeremy are amazing, it’s official, especially for cyclist newbies.  Adam and Bob, meh.  I mean they’re awesome.  Wait until you see some of the images from Ali and Amy (who joined us on this day for some great still photography!) and video of Adam and the two young men, one in front while Adam rides side-by-side next to the other one a little way back, securely giving him the little extra push up the hill to get the team back together again to work as one.  Or the amazing sight of each of the 4 exhausted riders zooming down huge hills, sometimes at 40+ mph, giving their poor bodies a tiny break and whooshing through the wind to cool off.  Can’t wait until tomorrow’s final day into Tyngsboro!

Busy day for the team!

First thing in the morning, we all drive/ride to meet Rep. Paul Tonko at the River Link Park in Amsterdam.  Tonko is sponsor of the HR 718 Parity Act to get national social security disability benefits for those with HD.  And thank you also to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who was strong enough to introduce the bill.

After that, we met up with Cathy and Bob again, as well as Patricia and Gene Schuler (who also helped organize our morning meeting with Rep. Paul Tonko).  Thank you for the wonderful gifts and cheers and welcome and send-off everyone (and of course the cowbell too, Bob)!