When a bike ride becomes so much more…

My husband Gene recently participated in the Pan Mass Challenge for Dana Farber and was interviewed by a writer who captured his story for a marketing newsletter. It so perfectly conveys the essence and passion of his commitment to me, the cause, and what it means to be a caregiver.

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Why did you decide to ride?

For me it was an opportunity to give back to Dana-Farber. I’ve donated blood and platelets dozens of times in the past two-plus years but research takes money. In order to ride the route I selected I had to commit to $6000 in fund raising. Through the generosity of family, friends, and some people I’ve never met I was able to raise $7,700!

Who are you riding for?

Many people ride as “Living Proof”—as survivors— or “In Honor Of”—like me— for someone who has survived cancer. But unfortunately many also ride “In Memory of” those they’ve lost.

A little over two years ago —May 4th, 2020, to be exact, my wife Susan was diagnosed with an acute form of blood cancer. She was immediately hospitalized for a month with a large mass in her chest, followed by eight cycles of week-long chemo treatments. That was then followed by monthly chemo infusions, which are expected to be completed this December. The diagnosis was tough but the outcome was intended to be curative —not remission or control but a cure. The treatment regimen is based on research in part from Dana-Farber and has been performed at RI Hospital.

I ride for Sue, but I also ride for the doctors and nurses I’ve met along the way. These incredible people carry a load few of us will ever know. They deal with people under extraordinary circumstances with style and grace. All of the doctors and nurses we’ve dealt with at RIH have been fantastic and this ride was also in honor of them.

How has biking become important to you?

I used to think of myself as a skier and rode the bike to get ready for ski season. Then I realized how much I enjoyed it and it took on a life of it’s own. When Sue got sick, cycling was something I could do to shed the stress. I could leave the house ~5:30am, and be back before Sue woke up. Some days I would time my ride so I could talk to her from her hospital window when she woke up. I’d stop and get a coffee and sit on the lawn while she had her tea on the 8th floor. (This was during the pandemic so I couldn’t go into the hospital.)

Friends started to come out of the woodwork, more friends were made. While cycling is something you do by yourself, it’s far more fun in a group. As they say, it doesn’t get easier, you just get faster. Your friends push you and pull you.

Keep in mind I’m 61 years old. My riding partners range from 15-years younger to 30-lb lighter. On PMC Sunday, as we made our way out the Cape, I came across a Living Proof Rider who was struggling up a hill. I told him to “Grab my wheel”. He did and we started moving, quicker at first, then faster. Before I knew it, I had four people on my wheel! We were move at 19 - 20mph, everyone in a tight line in the slip stream behind me. I was so proud of myself there was no way I was letting go! We pulled into the Wellfleet water stop with fist bumps all around. One woman said, “That was awesome!” I’ve never been in a better sport where things like that happened.

How do you feel now that it’s done?

While training, whenever I would get down, I would think about how it would feel crossing the finish line in P’town. I would say to myself, “Envision success, now build on that feeling.” And I remembered all the times when Susan had to pack her bag and march herself into the hospital one more time for another week. If she could manage that, I was going to make it on this ride.

When I did finally cross the line there was no wave of emotion, no tears, just a tremendous sense of accomplishment. I thought about my wife and how proud I was of her, how I wished she could have seen me cross. And honestly, I was also thinking about a shower and a cold beer. :-)

Since the ride, so many little moments have popped back in my head, some funny, others sad. Then thoughts of “What’s next”? “Do it again next year?” Maybe form a team? Who knows. I can say this for certain, I’m so glad I did it and would recommend this to anyone who wants to feel like they’ve done something that makes a difference for others.

The Pan-Mass Challenge is a Massachusetts-based bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Always held the first weekend in August, the PMC raises funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research.

Each summer, thousands of riders and volunteers from 43 states and 12 countries participate in the PMC, all with a common goal: to find a cure for cancer.100 percent of all rider-raised funds go directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is Dana-Farber’s single largest supporter and is 55 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $831 million for Dana-Farber. —pmc.org