ONE…LAST… TIME!!

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been hard to share with all of you that Diane Legg, a 20-year lung cancer survivor, founder of LUNGSTRONG, wife, mother, friend and advocate for lung cancer research lost her battle on December 30, 2024.  

Diane founded LUNGSTRONG in 2011 with the goal of providing unrestricted funding to researchers at Dana Faber and Mass General Hospital (MGH) so they could think outside the box and develop transforming therapies and treatments. When Diane was first diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer (EgRF mutation), there was one treatment.  Now, thanks to Diane’s tireless advocacy and LUNGSTRONG’s fundraising, there are more than 20 types of treatment for lung cancer, and more are being discovered each year.  These clinical trials are providing hope to and extending the lives of lung cancer patients everywhere.  These are the  clinical trials that kept Diane alive for two decades – unheard of for a Stage 4 lung cancer patient!

Diane also worked hard to erase the stigma that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease.  It is not.  In her speeches, she would always point out, “anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.” Diane never let her lung cancer define her; she traveled the world, ran four half-marathons & rode the Pan-Mass Challenge 13 times. She was a warrior!

Diane left this world in her happy place in Maine surrounded by her beautiful family, who were her reason for living each day.  This year, her husband Dave and her son Cole will be riding “day ZERO” in her memory – which means they (along with a few other crazy teammates) will ride from the NY border to Sturbridge on Friday before joining the team on their journey from Sturbridge (or Wellesley) to Provincetown for the official Pan-Mass Challenge ride on August 2nd and 3rd. 

This year will be my 13th and final PMC ride.  (I thought last year would be my last, but Diane in Bourne asked me to do one more 2-day ride … how could I say no?)  I couldn’t!  She said, since I would be retiring in January, I would have more time to train (but have you all noticed the weather we’ve had in New England so far?).  She pointed out that I would be turning 65 in October and that would be a good time to hang up the bike shoes.  Ugh!

So, as I squeeze myself into my bike shorts, I have a big ask!  My goal this year is to raise $11,000 for my ride; the PMC required me to raise 6,000  but “GO BIG GO HOME, RIGHT!!” Please help LUNGSTRONG make a difference by making a donation to my last Pan-Mass Challenge ride.  Any size donation makes a difference and is appreciated.  Donations for this year’s ride will be accepted through October 1, 2025. You can donate online by visiting www.pmc.org, clicking on DONATE and typing my name Alberta Grunbeck, where it says Find A Rider.  Click on my name to come to my page and type in the amount of your donation. If you feel more comfortable writing a check, email me at bgrunbeck@gmail.com  and I will share my address with you. If you have someone you’d like me to ride in memory or in honor of, tell me their name(s) and I will add them to my helmet ribbons.

Thanks to all of you for supporting me and Team LUNGSTRONG for all these years. I want to thank my family (the family I was born into, married into, created and those who become family along the way) – for all the love and support you have given me all these years -- especially since Diane’s passing. You have made a difference in so many lives. The fact that Diane lived a happy and productive life has been worth every minute of pedaling.   I miss her every day, and training has been hard, knowing that when I finish this year, she will not be there in person to greet me – but she will be there in spirit, I know.

Cheers to a Cure!

With profound gratitude,

Berta

Team LUNGSTRONG 

Here are some pictures of Diane through the years!

First year riding, day 1 complete .

Day on done in Bourne we rode in the rain that year. Diane’s brother Tom (in the yellow) flew in from Cali to ride. Team LUNGSTRONG