Taking a Spin to Cure Diabetes

Amy (Fantoni) Booth has been living with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 30 years. She wears an insulin pump and tests her insulin levels eight to ten times a day.

She is taking her beloved bicycle and hundreds of miles of practice hours to Narragansett, R.I. June 5 to participate in the one-day Tour de Cure, a fund-raiser hosted by the American Diabetes Association.

She won't be doing it along. She has 22 participants on Team Amy so far and hopes to get more cyclists to participate.

"Exercise is the key to health,'' she said. "Cycling's my love, my passion.''

And she has been cycling both inside as a spin instructor and outdoors on her bike. 

She rides at least 150 miles a week, working her way up to 300 miles. This winter, she has been doing a lot of her work on an indoor bike. "As soon as I can get on the road, I will,'' she said. "I would be out there now, but with the ice, it's too dangerous.''

She is hosting a fund-raiser, Spin for Diabetes, from 8 to 11 a.m. March 12 at Boston Sports Club at Westborough, 1500 Union St. Proceeds benefit Team Amy.

She works as a spin instructor at the club. She also works as an associate professor of dental hygiene at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.

She hopes both the Westborough event and  the Tour for a Cure will increase awareness of diabetes, which is on the upswing.  "It would be nice not to struggle with it on a daily basis,'' she said. "Hopefully someday within my lifetime, I will see a cure.''

For more information or to help, visit www.diabetes.org/tour and follow the donate links to Team Amy.