For Dawn’s blog of day one, click here.
This is the second installment from Dawn from Virginia. We started out early with a delicious and nutritious breakfast provided by the VFW of Collinwood. One of my most memorable moments was chatting with a gentleman who had served in Korea and Vietnam, and is still serving his community through many community projects. Everyone we met from the town was so gracious and accommodating that I felt I was back home.
The hills and valleys of Tennessee are unbelievably picturesque and clean. I did not see one piece of trash or fallen tree on the Trace, which communicates the dedication of these small-town citizens to the environment. When we returned to the Trace, every single motorist I encountered gave notice of our presence and several even “hollered out” encouragement as we struggled through the hills (And there are a lot of hills, folks!).
We arrived at Lawrenceburg to a rousing reception at the dialysis center. The Lawrenceburg High School band provided an impressive greeting concert of songs, which motivated us more than those young people could imagine. They granted our mayor the honor of accompanying them on an impromptu performance of one of his theme songs.
We had the privilege of touring Lawrenceburg Dialysis Center and meeting the patients. When several thanked me for riding on this tour, the whole reason for riding was made evident. That motivation was reinforced by hearing the stories of several patients, as well as an articulate and inspirational story by one of our DaVita nurses who donated a kidney to a patient. My legs are sore but my spirit is restored by the Tour DaVita!
