Meaning Behind Día por Día
“Día por Día” means day by day.
During the hardest moments of my illness, that mindset became the only way forward. When my family would ask how I was doing, the only honest answer I could give was: día por día.
When your body is struggling and the future feels uncertain, you stop thinking months or years ahead. You focus on getting through the next day — sometimes even the next hour.
Over time, that phrase became more than just a way to survive difficult days. It became a philosophy.
Día por Día is about accepting the situation you’re in and choosing to move forward anyway. It’s about making the best of the circumstances you’re given, honoring your body, and finding strength in small steps forward.
This journey across Europe follows the same idea. Riding thousands of miles may sound overwhelming, but just like recovery, it doesn’t happen all at once.
It happens día por día — one day at a time.
Why Project Día por Día Exists
Project Día por Día exists to show that life, movement, and adventure do not have to stop because of illness or an ostomy. By embracing each day as it comes, the project aims to encourage people to make the best of their situation, reconnect with their bodies, and rediscover what is still possible.
Why ride 5,000 Miles across Europe?
This is a trip I originally dreamed about years ago, before I became sick. But when my health declined and I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, that dream quickly felt very far away.
For a long time, simply getting through the day became the focus. Travel and adventure were replaced with hospital visits, medications, and learning how to live with a body that no longer worked the way it once did.
After years of fighting the disease and eventually having my colon removed, I have been slowly rebuilding my strength and reconnecting with movement. Riding a bike became one of the ways I could start doing that again.
At one of my appointments I asked my ostomy nurse if cycling would be a good activity after surgery. She told me that after a few weeks it would be a great leisure activity to help rebuild my strength.
So I thought… why not take it a step further?
If cycling is a good way to rebuild strength, then maybe six months after surgery is the perfect time to ride 5,000 miles across Europe!!
This journey isn’t about proving strength, it’s about honoring the body, embracing movement again, and showing that life and adventure don’t have to stop because of an ostomy.
Just like recovery, the ride will happen the same way everything else has.
Día por día.