Why I Ride

In August of 2000 I lost my mother to an 18 month battle with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Previously she had survived Stage 2 Breast Cancer. If she was offered tests to detect Colon Cancer her Cancer may have been caught earlier and she may have lived longer.

In July of 2001 I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer.

At the time of my diagnosis I was considered a young 45 year old. I was part of a study to dermine if MRI could advance the detection of Breast Cancer. A second tumor was found in the same breast. My treatment included mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and hormone blocking therapy.

While I was undergoing my treatment a very close friend was undergoing treatment for liver cancer that ultimately metastasized to her lungs. Despite fighting with all that was available she lost her battle. I lost a friend. Her family lost a wife, mother and more.

These are not my first memories of cancer. My very first memory goes back to the 1960s when my then 10 year old cousin was diagnosed with a type of leukemia. I was in middle school. He did not survive. Bobby fought the battle with all that was availabe to treat childhood leukemia in the 1960s.

In 2020 after 20 years being cancer free I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the other breast. In 20 years research and treatment had changed the standard of care. Tumor testing, genetic testing and many clinical trials proved that less is more. I underwent staging (clear), lumpectomy with lymph node dissection (positive) followed by radiation and again a hormone blocker.

This is just my story. It is not the story of many of my friends, my cousins, my brother, my brother in law or those I have met along the way who are also survivors. I miss my friends and family that have lost their battle.

So, why do I ride?

I ride and pledge to raise money to be used for continued research and treatment of cancer patients and their families. Without research we would not have new treatments available. I ride as Living Proof that raising more money to be used specifically for research and treatment of this disease will allow more patients to live to see more sunrises and more sunsets.

I hope you can help me by donating to my goal of raising $6000.00 of which 100% will go to the research and treatment of cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute made available to every child and every adult world wide.

WITH EVERY MILE WE ARE CLOSER TO FREE.