For tens of thousands of people across North America who suffer from 'Interstitial Cystitis' (I.C.) the luxury of feeling 'great' is but a distant memory.

'I.C.' often referred to as 'Painful Bladder Syndrome' is a relentless adversary, inflicting it's victims with excruciating pain, and all of the social awkwardness that come with urinary urgency.

Hello; my name is Brian Selby from Chilliwack British Columbia.

I am planning a ride across Canada...on a motorcycle...in the middle of winter.

You may well wonder...'why would anyone in their right mind, plan a trip of nearly 8,000 Km/ 5,000 miles across this vast Country of ours .... At the worst possible time of the year?'

Well the short answer is ...'I'm trying to get your attention'

I'm trying to shine a light on a little understood and under recognized health problem.

"Interstitial Cystitis has no known cause....and of course .....no cure."

It is a 'syndrome' that tears away at the quality of life, from otherwise healthy individuals.

How bad and relentless can the pain be?.... Bad enough for individuals to take their own life... does it get any worse than that?

I.C. as I understand it, is the mysterious pealing away or disintegration of the protective mucous lining of the bladder wall...leaving the victim with a bladder of totally exposed nerve endings, basically being bathed in a solution of uric acid....you might try to imagine how that feels 24/7.

Because I.C. is not well recognized by either the public or the medical community, it is often misdiagnosed.

It takes an average of '8' agonizing years for someone suffering with I.C. to be properly diagnosed...in my case I had to 'tell' my doctor what to test for.

So you see I have at least 2 reasons for "Getting Your Attention"

One, is to try and make more of my fellow Canadians/Americans aware of this ailment so that they can take whatever steps needed to help them cope with it.

Secondly, to inspire you to consider a donation toward 'finding the cure'. It's really the only way that I have of measuring the result of my efforts.

I would encourage any of you who have further interest in the ailment to 'Google' "Interstitial Cystitis".

Perhaps you or a friend are suffering with a 'mysterious' and ongoing pain that has baffled 'your' doctor.... you're the ones that I'm trying to reach.

And finally; I am hoping that all visitors to this site will take part in the interactive 'blog' component.... I would very much value your input and comments.... I say that understanding that this site may very well attract 'two' quite different interest groups... those suffering or curious about I.C.....and of course all of those 'motorcycle rebels' out there who may want to share some information with me on how to survive a winter marathon ride across Canada.

For those 'Road Warriors'.... some people have asked why don't you just do this in the Summertime, or why don't you ride down to Mexico instead?

Well....that would just be way too much fun!

Yes... what we're talking about here is... 'the true Canadian experience'... man against the elements!

Combining the 'misery' of a 40 below Prairie winter...
The 'mindless forethought' of two wheels on a snow covered Rocky Mountain Pass...
The 'humility' of dressing up to look like the Michelin Man...
Yes, 'misery, mindlessness, and humility', all of those things that we embrace that make us ...'uniquely Canadian.'

...ride on.

Brian Selby