Brother, sister take cross-country bicycle trip to raise awareness for disease

A brother and sister who are on a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness about a disease made a stop in El Paso.

Ari Diaconis and his sister Alix are calling their journey “Pedal for POTS.”

“POTS” is an acronymn for postural orthostattic tachycardia syndrome.

The symptoms include fatigue that lasts more than 6 months, rapid heart rate, frequent headaches and difficulty thinking.

Ari was diagnosed with POTS but says intensive cardio exercise helps in relieving his symptoms.

Doctors describe the disease as the involuntary nervous system not regulating the blood flow.

The Diaconises, who are from New York, began their journey in Tallahassee, Florida. From there they made their way to Mobile, Alabama, then to Austin before making a stop in El Paso. They will also stop in Las Cruces and Phoenix. Their last stop is in San Diego.

Their goal is to raise awareness and funds for POTS research through Dysautonomia International.

The goal is to raise $50,000 for advanced research in hopes of finding a cure.

You can learn more about their journey at www.PedalforPOTS.com