From the time I received my first bike as a young girl – a red, no-speed, Christmas gift from a secondhand store – biking has been a way I experience freedom, adventure, and independence. I’ve always enjoyed seeing the next turn in the road and meeting each new challenge along the route from my bicycle seat. Now, biking is taking on even greater meaning for me. Alongside 125 of my Bristol Myers Squibb colleagues, I’ve trained for five months to relay 225 miles across the country to raise money for cancer research in support of the V Foundation.
Our Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer ride is composed of nine teams that will bike from Cannon Beach, Oregon, to Long Branch, New Jersey. Each of the cyclists has been touched by cancer in some way.
I am one of those people.
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One Gut Punch After Another
As with many moms, my children are my world. Their health, their safety, and their futures mean everything to me. Hearing the horrible words “Your child has cancer” is an unimaginably cruel punch to the gut. I’ve heard it twice.
My son, Nick, was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 21 when he was a junior in college. Thankfully, he is currently in remission, has completed medical school, and is pursuing a career in anesthesiology. I am so proud of him and know he is going to be an excellent and caring doctor.
In February 2023, my daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 30 and underwent treatment. Once again, I’m a very happy and grateful mom. Katie just received her nursing degree! But my family’s experience with cancer, unfortunately, goes beyond Nick and Katie. My husband, Mark, is a prostate cancer survivor. I am thankful to be able to say he has been cancer-free for nine years.
Sadly, the outcomes of my family’s battles with cancer haven’t always been good. My niece, Kylee, a recent college graduate, was busy planning her wedding when she learned she had a very rare and aggressive form of gastric cancer. She died at 23, six months before her wedding day. She never got to walk down the aisle.
Fighting Back Against Cancer in the Young
My experiences have compelled me to fight cancer with everything I have. I know what it does to individuals and to families, and I want fewer people to lose their future or a loved one to this enemy. I am particularly committed to fighting cancer in young people. To do this, we must increase awareness of the different types of cancer that impact young adults. I am especially interested in driving a greater understanding of testicular cancer, a disease that can affect men in their 20s and 30s.
As a former nurse, I know how important research is to making strides in our fight against cancer. It can impact every level of someone’s cancer journey and we must continue to push forward and make progress. Lives depend on it.
Get Involved
Cancer can make you feel helpless. But we can all play an active role in supporting research, awareness, and early diagnosis and treatment.
That’s why in September, I’ll be getting on my bike and riding 75 miles per day for three days in my leg of the ride from Boise, Idaho, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Each and every one of those miles will be in honor of my family members, my friends, and every other person who has been stricken by cancer. I know this ride won’t be easy. When I’m pedaling uphill, I’ll be thinking about them.
Our miles can help make more memories for cancer patients.
To learn more or donate to the ride please go to cancerbikeride.org.
