I’ve got two stories to share tonight. In a moment. But first I want to try a little audience participation here. I would love each and every one of you that are reading this to donate $5 to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. That’s a cup of coffee. Multiply that by the 23x matching funds and you will be generating $115 in research funds. I know lots of you have donated already. This is just a call to action one more time.
I’ll put it a different way. I just rode 101 miles today on my bicycle today. You can make your own difference. Donate Here
Today was, indeed, a very long (and very hot) day. As expected, we passed the halfway mark. As of right now, I figure that we have about 320 miles under our belts. Just think about that.
I got to camp at around 2 PM. It’s just about 630 and people are still rolling in. That’s amazing.
So onto my two stories. Indulge me while I recount them.
The first is Maria. I met her year one, day one. She was one of the first people I encountered, and she helped show me the ropes. Very friendly, very personable.
Fast forward to last year. Right before the Ride, Maria had just completed surgery to remove a grapefruit-sized tumor. And had just completed a regimen of chemo that was over 430 hours. And she came to ride. She did as much as she could last year, and this year she is back and determined to pedal every mile.
And then another gentleman (I haven’t caught his name). Really nice guy. Retired dentist, lives right near Niagara Falls and gave me some good dinner recommendations for Saturday. With the tables ironically turned, I’ve been helping him with tips on how to handle this ride. Yesterday he was laying in the hammock next to mine (yes, hammocks are a thing here), and we touched on the story of me getting hit with a car in 2021. He them recounted that, a few years ago, he hit a dog while on his bike (I’m not sure of the doggo’s status, sorry). He went to the hospital with a few broken ribs. While they were treating him, they found a mass in his abdomen. Cancer too. If not for the pooch in his way, he might never have known.
Why am I telling you this? Not to impress you that these people are doing this ride. One simple reason. Cancer does not discriminate. Young, old, man, woman, ill, or dedicated athletes. It can come after us all. Each of you reading this probably has been touched by this horrible disease.
Think about how your life has been touched and donate that $5 for whoever comes to your mind.
Done and done. For my kids. <3
$10 donated