Eden Prairie's Brau bike's with, and for, Beyond 1

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a body's pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels.

Insulin is needed to allow sugar to enter the cells to produce energy. No insulin, no energy. No energy, no life.

"While the typical diagnosis occurs in children and young adults, you can be diagnosed in your 30s, 50s or 70s," said Eden Prairie'sAbbey Brau. "No one knows why it why it happens; it just happens."

Brau, a 2006 Eden Prairie High school graduate, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during her senior year of college.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30 million Americans have diabetes (about one in 10), and 90-95 percent have Type 2 diabetes.

"In Type 2 diabetes, your pancreas can't produce enough insulin," said Brau. "In Type 1, your body doesn't produce any insulin."

Type 2 diabetes symptoms can be reversed by lifestyle changes. That's not the case for Type 1 diabetes. There is no cure.

Bike it

In the fall of 2016, Brau heard about an organization called Beyond Type 1.

Its goal is 20-fold, or so.

"It pays for research grants," said Brau. "It supports advocacy programs, provides funding to people who don't have access to insulin, sends kids to camp, expands its Jerry the Bear program and supports a penpal program that connects kids with Type 1.

"Jerry the Bear," adds Brau, "is a teddy bear that helps kids learn how to manage their injections."

Beyond 1 also sponsors a cross-country bike ride.

"I didn't know how it (ride) would fit into my schedule," said Brau, "but I had to do it."

She filled out the application, submitted a video and crossed her fingers.

"I made the team of 20 riders," she said. "Everyone but one had Type 1. The one who didn't was a mom whose daughter had Type 1."

The ride would last 70 days. Experience ranged from seasoned bikers to first-time riders.

"One person had never been on a bike before," added Brau.

Ready, set, go

Brau had been a competitive swimmer at Team Foxjet, Eden Prairie High School and the College of Saint Benedict.

Swimming wasn't biking, and swimming with Type 1 diabetes was different than swimming without Type 1 diabetes.

In order to prepare to ride a bike 75 miles per day, Brau spent the winter of 2016-17 taking spinning classes. She'd also ride a fat bike through the snow.

"If you remember," said Brau, "spring came early in 2017, which allowed me to get a couple longer rides in."

In June, she ceremoniously dipped the rear tire of her Specialized road bike (Team Beyond 1 was sponsored by Specialized Bicycles) into the Atlantic Ocean. She then peddled for 70 days. In August, she'd ceremoniously dip her front tire into the Pacific Ocean.

The ride started in Brooklyn, New York. It ended in San Francisco.

Beyond 1's shortest day was 35 miles. Its longest was 110 miles.

"The trip was 4,200 miles," said Brau. "We averaged about 75 per day."

Stops and stays were prearranged.

"Lots of Community Centers," said Brau, "lots of churches and lots of schools.

"Everyone was so supportive," she added.

Visually, her favorite day included a ride through Vail Pass in Colorado.

"The most beautiful sights I've ever seen," she said.

Emotionally, her favorite day included a ride through southern Illinois.

"I remember taking a call from the mom of this small boy who lived in a small town maybe 45 minutes off our path," said Brau. "They asked where we were and said they wanted to meet us."

The boy's family cheered the riders as they slowed to a stop in the middle of town.

"We had a chance to talk," said Brau. "A few weeks later, the mom sent me a note. She said her son, who had been very shy, was open to getting a glucose pump. She also said he was raising money to send kids to camp.

"My little bubble of joy," she added. "It's why we ride."

Actually, they rode because they can.

"We want to make sure people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aren't being told they can't," said Brau. "We can do things, and we can be active."

Note: This spring, Brau completed her first Iron Man (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and full 26.2-mile marathon).

What's next?

On Sunday, Brau will host a screening of "Bike Beyond: The Documentary," a film that details the story of Team Bike Beyond's 4,248-mile cross-country ride to raise funds for and awareness of their shared condition.