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Tomorrow’s the BIG DAY!!!

HI!!!! Tomorrow’s the BIG DAY! I am very excited, as you can tell, and I wanted to let you know that thanks to your donations, prayers and support I have exceeded my goal!!! Yay! Yesterday I dropped off the bike my friend Emily let me borrow to train this last month and a half and I was blessed to receive a brand new hybrid bike that was built just for me to ride tomorrow. Thank you to Nancy and Joel and Larry Sid’s Bike Shop for making that happen! Thank you to Joanie and her mom for my camel pack filled with water and thank you to Katie and Kiran for my fabulous red helmet! I did another 30 mile training ride yesterday on the new bike. It took a few miles for us to get acquainted with each other but by the end of the ride we were on 1 accord, lol! Thank God! I am about to do another short ride so we can understand each other even more… please pray for us! Guess what? I have been asked to sing The National Anthem at the opening ceremony for the 45 mile riders (which includes myself) !!!! What singer doesn’t want to sing the anthem in front of tons of people?! Double Yay! I will let you know how the ride goes sometime this week. I have also booked a new musical called “The Summer of Love” and will be leaving for Oqunquit, Maine tomorrow evening after the ride until mid July. What a life! I am blessed! Please know that you are in my prayers and I am extremely appreciative! May God shower his love and blessings upon you and all the people in your life.

Cheers!

Soara-Joye “Singing Bird soars joyfully!”

P.S.Check out the Tour de Cure pics i posted on facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150174085566719.341921.654056718

Jun 04, 2011 @ 7:04 PM

ONLY ONE MORE WEEK!!!

Blessings to you!

Guess what? There’s a little over a week left until the big day!! Ahhh!!! I am sooo excited! I’ve been trying to ride every day, but these last couple of weeks have been rather busy for me with auditions/callbacks/rehearsals/gigs and everything else. I will do a training ride with me, myself and I tomorrow from Brooklyn into the city and up to the George Washington Bridge via The Hudson River Greenway and back home which will be about 30 miles! I will also try to do the same training ride again one day this week and do shorter rides as well. Please keep me in your prayers and thank you for your support!!!

Cheers!

Sincerely, The Soaring Bird

Copy the link below and paste in your browser if you’d like to read the blog post I wrote about Tour de Cure, being adopted, my career and the rest of my life

https://nyctourdecure.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/meet-soara-joye-ross-award-winning-broadway-actress%E2%80%A6-and-red-rider/

May 27, 2011 @ 8:07 PM

Cheers!

Hey there! I wanted to let you know that I DEFINITELY consider myself a cyclist now, lol! I’ve been training for about a month and I absolutely LOVE it! Honestly, when I’m riding I feel at peace…like I’m the closest to God and what could be better than that! I sing and pray and laugh and just breathe while riding…it’s weird and thrilling and totally amazing! I pretty much ride at least a few miles a day now and miss my bike when I have to leave it at home. Yesterday there was a Tour de Cure shindig in Chelsea and it was nice to get together and meet other riders, especially RED RIDERS (people who ride with diabetes)! Last weekend I went to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine for the 13th Annual Blessing of the bikes ceremony. What a beautiful church and having my bike and I get a special blessing from the priest was unforgettable! After the ceremony, I was even interviewed by a television reporter from The Netherlands …soo much fun! I have decided to challenge myself even more and get ready for the 45 mile ride instead of the 30 miles I initially signed up for. That being said, this month I will be training even harder. The 45-Mile Ride features a trek up the west side of Manhattan and over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey, along the scenic Route 9W with wide shoulders and rolling hills into Rockland County, NY, a spectacular scenic tour of the Palisades all the way to Tallman Mountain State Park and the village of Piermont. Then, I’ll loop south to return to New York via an inland route with panoramic views and challenging climbs! Please check out the blog post Tour de Cure asked me to write: https://nyctourdecure.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/meet-soara-joye-ross-award-winning-broadway-actress%E2%80%A6-and-red-rider/ Happy Spring, God Bless and I look forward to seeing you on the road! Thank you for your support and please keep me in your prayers!

 

Blessings,
Soara-Joye

 

May 05, 2011 @ 12:43 PM

 

Blog posted by NYCTOURDECURE!

Please check out the blog Tour de Cure asked me to write: https://nyctourdecure.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/meet-soara-joye-ross-award-winning-broadway-actress%E2%80%A6-and-red-rider/

May 05, 2011 @ 11:07 AM

In My Neighborhood

Cheers everyone! So, I rode around my neighborhood today. I was all over Clinton Hills, Caroll Gardens and Park Slope. I rode about 5 miles and had to take it easy. I was sorta sightseeing as well, lol. I kept feeling low and every time I checked I was lower than I needed to be. Any type of exercise brings my # down so I would just eat a small snack I had packed in my elephant back pack and sequins fanny pack, lol. I allowed myself to stop a few times and tried not to push myself too hard. All in all, it was a nice ride and I even rode through parts of Brooklyn I’ve never been to before! I really love riding and look forward to riding again tomorrow! I am totally addicted! Be blessed! Sincerely, Soara GO TEAM RED!!!!
Apr 13, 2011 @ 8:34 PM

Character in Film Type 1 Diabetic

Hey there, Thought I’d share the link to the film teaser for “Jackie”. We shot it back in November 2010. I play a young woman who has type 1 diabetes and reconnects with the daughter she gave up for adoption at the age of 13… “A friendly dinner takes a wrong turn in “Jackie.” The story of an Ivy Leaguer and her birth-mother who find out that their similarities are disturbingly strong and first impressions can never be undone. Having grown up in East New York’s volatile child care system, Jackie Isley is armed with street and book-smarts upon meeting “Ronnie” for the first time. Looking more like her sister, Jackie soon learns that not only is she the product of a teenage pregnancy, but also that her mother is out for blood…” The character wasn’t originally written to be a type 1 diabetic but the director thought it would add dimension to the story, character and film.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL9zWDWp4j0
Apr 12, 2011 @ 1:54 PM

The Manhattan Bridge

Oh MY GOODNESS!!!
I actually rode over The Manhattan Bridge yesterday!!! Me, Soara-Joye Ross! Ahhhh, such a thrilling and challenging experience! Golly, I don’t think I ever would have done this if I didn’t have diabetes and especially if I wasn’t doing Tour de Cure! Isn’t life amazing? I just love it!
So, I picked up the bike from my new friend Emily who is letting me borrow it to train and ride for the event (thanks Emily) and I rode from 28th street and Park Avenue over to 2nd Ave down to the lower east side, over to Canal Street and onto the Manhattan Bridge! I had to stop midway, because, wow, there was such an incline, lol, but after my little break where I had an energy bar and some water I was back on the bike pedalin’ my way over into Brooklyn! I soared through the streets like a pro and loved every minute of it!
I have soo much work to do today and am a bit bummed that I won’t be able to ride, but tomorrow I’m back on for at least a short ride and maybe even over the bridge again!
Wow, what a difference a day makes! 3 days ago I had never even ridden in nYc!!! And now, well, the sky is the limit!
Thanks for reading everyone and thank you for your support! God Bless!
Sincerely,
Soara by Soara-Joye Ross on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 @ 11:56 AM 

Ride for Life!!

So, guess who rode a bike on the NYC streets for almost 16 miles today???? Me, lol!!! (It still cracks me up!) I loved every minute of it even though I was a little scared. Seeing New York City on a bike is such an amazing experience! I am inspired to ride again tomorrow…just because! I absolutely loved it and must say “I’m proud of me”!
Today was the 1st training ride for those participating in the event. I rode from 26th & 6th to the Boathouse in Central Park (72nd), around the entire park (59th – 110th/east and west sides) and then back down to drop the bike off on 26th!
I just HAD to share this marvelous accomplishment with you…especially because I’ve never ridden a bike in NYC before, lol! Fascinating everybody, absolutely fascinating!
Thanks to all of you who have supported me in this cause, but most of all thank you all for your encouragement and support on my journey to being a better me! I appreciate you tremendously and look forward to supporting you on your journey!
I ride for everyone who has been touched by illness.
Blessings!

Apr 09, 2011 @ 7:20 PM

 

I ride for diabetes as a diabetic for all diabetics!

Please Support Me in Tour de Cure!
I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure fundraising event and I am proud to say that I AM A RED RIDER!!!!

The purpose of the Red Riders…
…is to support everyone who lives with diabetes and showcase the courage it takes to live every day with this difficult condition.Most of you already know that I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on September 18, 2007. It has been such a challenge living with this disease everyday, but I’m A SURVIVOR!! And am extremely excited to be participating in such an extraordinary event!

Please support me with a donation by selecting the “Sponsor Me” button. Our efforts will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes. So let’s get in gear and ride to Stop Diabetes!
Help Make a Difference in the fight against diabetes!
Each mile I ride, and the funds I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of nearly 24 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference!

Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so important to me! I ride for diabetes as a diabetic for all diabetics!

Cheers!

 

Reunited and it feels so good!

So, some of you know that I’m adopted. I have been with my family since I was about 6 months old and I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Back in the summer of 2002, after finishing up a run of my dream show “Ragtime”, I decided I wanted to start the search in finding my birthfamily; most of all my birthmother. A good friend recommended I attend the support group “Adoption Crossroads” on the upper east side to help with the entire process; feelings about being given up, etc… It was exactly what I needed to prepare me for the reunion and I would totally recommend anyone wanting a reunion to deal with your feelings first.

There are a LOT of FEELINGS about the adoption,etc and being able to talk about them with people that “get it” was completely validating and liberating for me. It was a tremendous blessing and I’m grateful for my friend caring that much about me to recommend such a thing! Thank you Amy!!

So… after doing mini searches on the computer, calling around and going to random addresses, I decided to hire a private eye in 2005 to find my birth mother. He found her in 2 weeks!  Lavonne Debra Patterson residing not too far away in New Rochelle, New York had been thinking about me all the while! It was a wonderfully overwhelming reunion, lol! We see each other every few months, she comes to my shows and family functions and calls me every other day to chat on the phone! She’s definitely my mom and boy are we soo much alike!

I wanted to find my father as well! Mother (Lavonne) had given me other relatives’ names so I began looking for them days after. I was able to connect with my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandmother! It was a year of blessed reunions! My paternal grandmother tried to put me in contact with her son – my birthfather.  We had spoken on the phone once for a few minutes but that was all.  It seemed as though that one phone conversation would be the only conversation and I was trying to be ok with that.

Until…I did the benefit on Sunday, March 13th, 2011! My I will forever be changed! I  met my dad!:) Grandmother invited him to the benefit performance without telling him I’d be in it. She always comes to my shows so nothing was out of the ordinary. She surprised both of us! He figured it out during the show and I, soon after! It was such an amazing surprise! I was soo nervous and excited and scared and happy and sad and soooo many things, lol! He was extremely good looking, tall, kind, nervous, shocked, encouraging, supportive and soo many other things! We went out to a diner after the performance and he ordered a burger without cheese, lol! It was awkward and incredible! I didn’t realize how incomplete I felt until the other piece of the puzzle appeared! I feel soo full, whole…complete ~ and I HAD to share with you! Here’s to finding yourself!

 

 

 

It’s a hard knock life…well not really

P.S. An old friend found a new quote and I MUST share it! “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”  Erma Bombeck (Thanks for finding this Roki

P.S. Check this out! http://nedramcclyde.com/choir.html

P.P.S. Below I posted a video of me singing “Your Daddy’s Son” JUST for fun at a friend’s party on Thanksgiving. I love this song!! (Thanks Lelund and Jason:))

Written January 23rd, 2011

I’m cool…say it!

August 6th, 2010 | Category: Blog

DiaWho?!

Happy Friday D-Folk! So, my betes is giving me tude today and I’m a bit out of it so I figured instead of not blogging at all I’d share the  very first blog I posted about type 1 back in 2007. I wrote it a few days after I had gotten out of St. Vincents Hospital where I was initially diagnosed as an interminable divabetic. Have a great weekend!  Xoxo 

“September 24th, 2007
Wow! Where do I begin?……This is my 1st time blogging… and… well…I guess it’s because it is needed.
I have just given myself 2 injections – in my thigh- of the hormone called insulin. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes this past Tuesday and I am still trying to get a grip. I am completely insulin dependent! Me….Soara-Joye Ross with Diabetes! I hate needles! My body has always been extremely sensitive and I now have to give myself 4 injections a day. Along with the pricking about 7 times a day with that damn “1 touch changes everything” device. I just can’t wrap my head around it! It doesn’t seem like this should be part of MY journey. Not mine.
I was in my 5th week of rehearsals playing the female lead for a show that was rather stressful and the day before Opening Night I check into the hospital where they tell me my glucose level is 650, I have diabetes and I have to stay in Intensive Care. Alllll that work for nothing! They had to hire a replacement the morning of Opening. Allllll that work…!
Ohh LIFE! OHH GOD! I sit here…typing…shaking my head still in disbelief. I just don’t understand…!

Okay, so now I can’t really eat anything without taking an injection. How do you get use to something like that? Why would I get use to something like that? I DON’T WANT TO GET USE TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!

The doctors said that I was completely dehydrated, even after drinking about 20 cups of liquids daily, and that the I was headed towards a diabetic coma. Thank God that didn’t happen! Your glucose level should be between 80ish-130ish and mine was 650! Thank God I’m still alive! Thank God for my partner. Thank God for my mommies, my family, my friends. Thank you!

Thrush (Thick, white, foamy, mucusy stuff in my mouth everyday aka yeast aka a throat infection). Dry Eyes. Dry Mouth (hardly any saliva whatsoever). Weight Loss(20lbs). Tired. Completely Exhausted. Fatigue. Light headedness. Headaches. Loss of vision (blurred vision). Irritability. Loss of Energy. Extremely Thirsty. Frequent Urination. Rapid Heartbeats. Etc…

I can’t believe I went through all of that in 2 weeks. I spoke to 3 doctors within the 2 week period, before I went to the hospital, and not one of them thought it was diabetes! Talk about complete trauma. YIKES!! I’m so glad I went to the hospital when I did. I could be in a coma … or worse, God forbid. God is still sooooo GOOD; He is and always will be. I’m HERE! I’M STILL HERE!!! Thank you Jesus!”

July 30th, 2010 | Category: Blog, Soara-Joye

Happy Friday d-folk!!! I have sooo many stories to tell you all however time is of the essence so I will tell you one now and save the others for a more opportune time.  

So I went out of town for a few days with a friend to hang out with her family in Virginia. Boy is it nice to be able to get out of New York even if only for 3 days, nawhadimean? Lol! The house we stayed in was amazingly beautiful and there were probably about 10 of her family members visiting altogether. Anyway, I was using my “one touch changes everything” device throughout the day, of course, and most of the time in front of a different person each time who didn’t know I was a divabetic. The matriarch of the house we stayed in , let’s call her “Regina”, happened to have type 2 diabetes but wasn’t “out” about it with her family… Her husband and daughter on 2 separate occasions inquired about my diabetes saying things like “You’re a diabetic?” “How many times do you check?” “Do you take insulin?” “Does it hurt?”, etc. They were very inquisitive, nice and for the most part, asked really great questions. Then the truth came out “My wife has diabetes but that’s all I know about it. I don’t know how serious it is and I just wanted to know more about it.” “I love my mom, but she won’t talk to me about it and she doesn’t even know I know she has it. Please keep this a secret, she doesn’t want anyone to know.” “We want to be there for her, but she won’t let us in!” Then they proceeded to show me her medicine; Novolog and Lantus in the back of the fridge…”I use them too!!!” “OMGosh, I feel like I’m doing something wrong!”, I thought. “I don’t wanna “out” this woman I hardly know. What do I do?” Well I guess I wouldn’t be outing her but you know what I mean. These are things she should talk to THEM about. I wasn’t part of their family…

I believe everything happens for a reason even if it’s not always about me. I felt in those moments, that was the reason I had gone to Virginia- to be there for a fellow diabetic and let them know that it was ok. I was excited!

Every time my friend , “Regina” and I were in a room together, my friend would say “check now so she can see that you’re a diabetic too and start talking to you!” I did do that a few times…staging a “mock check stop” for that specific purpose. Lol! It was crazy! After the 3rd time in a few hours, I decided to let go of trying to force her to talk about it when WE thought she should, and let it happen organically because “Regina” either never saw me or just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

Eventually it happened! I NEEDED to check and she happened to be right beside me. There was no way she could miss it. She said “What’s that?”, and I explained it to her as if she had no idea…and that felt right A few hours later I had a feeling I should check and when I did and it turned out that I was 43! Ugh! I had a bit of a hissy; mostly because I didn’t feel it and i never can understand how I can be THAT low and NOT feel ANYTHING!!! Anyway, “Regina” got up right away, pulled me into the kitchen
and gave me a cookie AND a fruit cup with peaches. We were talking and she kept saying “I understand” and then she said “I have diabetes too.” OMGosh, she’s talking, she’s talking!!!! My friend heard her as well because she had come into the kitchen to also make sure I was ok and she was excited too! Hahahaha! God was working it out in HIS time, not OURS, lol!

A few hours later, which also happened to be our last night there, “Regina”, her husband and I were in the kitchen having a snack. It was also just around the time that I had to check and take my Lantus. I did so and “Regina” just started talking about it! All of it; her device, how many times she checks, etc. Her husband pretended not to listen. I’m sure this made her even more comfortable to share, because she thought it was only I that was listening. I told her about these cool lancets I used and asked her if she wanted a few to try, attempting to break the ice. About 10 minutes into our conversation, her husband mouthed the words “thank you” to me and left the room to let us talk. 3 hours later we had exchanged contact information, become d-bff’s and she even gave me a few super thin needles to use! Sweet “Regina” kept saying that God had brought me there that weekend and she was grateful. I KNEW that God had brought me there and I was EXTREMELY thankful! Talking to a d-friend always feels good!

I am grateful that I was able to be there for a fellow diabetic and look forward to many other EMERGEN-D missions!!! (My friend made that up! lol!) Have you had a mission lately? Have a great D-Day!

Written July 23rd, 2010