PORT HADLOCK — Vicki Shaver, who lives with life-threatening polycystic kidney disease, is training for the cycling trip of a lifetime.

Beginning July 11, the 40-year-old Port Hadlock resident will ride her bicycle from Seattle to San Diego — 1,850 miles — to raise awareness and money for PKD research.

Shaver teaches a twice-weekly stationary bicycle “spin” class at Evergreen Fitness, south of Port Townsend, and works as a manager for Port Townsend Community Options, an agency that provides supportive services for the developmentally disabled.

She will be the star of a Seattle PKD awareness rally, which will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 11 at Magnuson Park, before she hits the Burke-Gilman Trail.

After that, she will head west toward the coast, where in Oregon she will connect with the Pacific Coast Highway south.

She is scheduled to arrive in San Diego on Aug. 26 for the annual PKD Conference.

Genetic disease

Polycystic kidney disease is a common genetic disease that affects 600,000 Americans and 13,000 in Washington state.

PKD causes fluid-filled cysts to grow and multiply on the kidneys.

A normal kidney is the size of a human fist and weighs mere ounces, while a PKD kidney can be as large as a football and weigh up to 35 pounds each.

Ultimately, PKD causes kidney failure. The only options to prolong life are dialysis — a cleansing of the blood for several hours a day, several days a week — or a transplant.

That leads to long waiting lists or the search for a suitable living-donor match.

“In the early stages of PKD, you can live a fairly active lifestyle with minor complications like high blood pressure or occasional kidney pain,” Shaver said.

“But as PKD progresses, you can be faced with full-blown kidney failure in a matter of months.”

Shaver saw the genetic disease that strikes middle-age people consume both her father and grandfather.

Her father has undergone a transplant and two additional surgeries for complications.

She learned she had PDK the day before her 36th birthday after seeing her blood pressure soar, a typical symptom of the disease.

Look at life differently

“Since I learned that I have PKD, I’ve been looking at life differently,” Shaver said.

“Lots of people have a list of things they want to do when they retire. But I want to do those things now.

“I’ve always wanted to do a big bike ride along the coast, so this ride to the PKD Conference in San Diego is just a case of the right place and the right time — and the right reason for me.”

Shaver has visited Washington, D.C., three times to lobby congressional aides for Washington Sen. Patty Murray, D-Freeland, and Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, who represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.

She lobbies for PDK research and legislation to prevent employers from discriminating against workers with PDK, and insurance companies from discriminating against insuring those with preconditions such as PDK.

She has been training since March, cycling at least 100 miles a week in preparation for the long ride south.

70 miles per day

She will average about 70 miles a day with day trips as long as 110 miles, she said, and will host two California PDK rallies.

Those are planned in San Francisco July 25 and in Santa Monica Aug. 1, cities with strong local PDK support chapters.

When in Los Angeles, she will take a break with her husband, Jim, hopping a boat in San Pedro to Catalina Island for a short vacation.

They celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary Saturday.

On her trip, she will be camping with friends at night until she reaches Prairie Creek Park in the Northern California redwood forest.

From then on she will be riding on her own, staying in motels.

“This will be the longest ride I will have attempted,” said Shaver, who once rode for two days and 125 miles in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.

“I’ve always wanted to ride my bike down the coast. It’s a dream of mine.”

So far, Shaver has raised $445, according to her blog, rideforpkd.blogspot.com, which contains a link to her fundraising site.

Her sponsors, where donations can be made, include Evergreen Fitness, 22 Tahlequah Road in the Glen Cove Industrial Park south of Port Townsend; Williwaw Bike Shop, 123 Frederick St., also in the industrial park; and The Broken Spoke, 835 Water St. in Port Townsend.

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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.