I RIDE… to honor my dad, who passed away 24 years ago from melanoma.
I RIDE… for my friend, Clare, who is currently fighting adrenocortical carcinoma.
I RIDE… to be a part of this grassroots effort to find a cure.
Why do you ride? Pedal the Cause is launching their I RIDE… campaign and we want to know your story. Everyone has a story about how cancer has affected their life. Be a part of the dialogue and share with us your story.
Post your story below as a comment. One lucky contributor will have their story featured in our 2011 Annual Report. Other entries will be featured as stories on our blog and website.
Come together to join us in this grassroots effort to find a cure. Tell others Why you Ride, why you Volunteer, or why you Donate to Pedal the Cause.
I ride because I am a survivor!
I ride for my mom and my sister who are both fighting breast cancer right now. Siteman Cancer Center is saving both of their lives and joining Pedal the Cause is the least I can do. I will ride to keep these women in my life alive.
I ride because I am a prostate cancer survivor
I ride because, with support, we will cure many / all cancers in my lifetime
I ride because of courageous friends like Leisa Zigman who are still looking / hoping / praying for a cure
I ride because of the great work of the Siteman Cancer Center, who continue to need our support
I ride because I can help
I Ride…to honor my grandmother who was a 2x breast cancer survivor, my grandma who died of pancreatic and liver cancer and my uncle who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. I ride to help honor those fighting this terrible disease…I ride because I can!
I ride to honor my dad who passed away Sept. 24 from colon cancer. He fought hard for 11 months.
I ride to honor everyone that is fighting and will fight this disease.
I ride to honor mom and every care givers.
I volunteer to honor my donors! I am a Bileduct cancer survivor! Bileduct cancer is very rare and surving bile duct cancer is every bit as rare! I am alive because of God, 2 strangers and Dr. William Chapman. I was diagnosed on July 31,2008 by Dr. Guiseppe Aliperty, who performed a routine ERCP (I had been itchy) and immediately told us that he “knew what he saw, knew it would come back a false negative and my only HOPE was Dr. Chapman”. I was immediately put in his care, with out the transplant trial I had 6-8 months to live. I can never post enough about Barnes and Siteman, even though I had a terminal cancer, I never knew it, Dr. Chapman, Pam Thurston, Dr. Suresh, Dr. Parik and Dr. Crippen always acted so positive. I did chemo, radiation and recieved my first liver transplant May 24, 2009. I was recovering when I woke up July 4, 2009 vomitting blood and immediately put in the ICU with Tanisha Burnes (God’s angel)as my nurse AGAIN… I awoke 3 weeks later with a new liver!! My hepatic artery had ruptured and my only HOPE was another liver with in 24 hours. Dr. Chapman and his team saved my life again, they never gave up. I was in Barnes for almost 3 months on the transplant floor being cared for by the most amazing staff. This is basically the “readers digest” version of my story!! I have hardly touched the surface on the love and care I recieved.
I am alive because of God, 2 strangers and Dr. Chapman! The interesting part is that is exactly how Dr. Chapman would list it. Dr. Chapman is the man you want your children to grow up to be, he is a St. Louis hero!!!
Lots of prayers for all in the fight-Cathy Dunnagan
I ride because:
I am a daughter, I am a mother, I am a grandmother, I am a friend, I am a survivor and I want a cure! I want to live!
Now the truth is that I was not able to ride in October. I was going through chemo and was just not strong enough! I have always been a very active person and the diagnosis of cancer not only took my strength away it took a part of my love for life with it.
One afternoon as I walked into Siteman for a treatment I saw a poster for Pedal the Cause. I knew I was not going to be able to ride but the next best thing was to volunteer. Without the group at Pedal the Cause I would have been lost. See not only did I have cancer but I was new to St. Louis. The Pedal the Cause staff utilized the skills and strength that I had and put me to work and I loved every minute of my experience with Pedal the Cause and the new friends that I made!
This year I will ride for the same reasons I volunteered in 2011 but this year I get to pedal because I AM A SURVIVOR! Sometimes life deals you a bad hand and you can sit down and do nothing about it or you can take the bull by the horn and fight for a better hand! I am a fighter and I have been dealt a wonderful hand of cards called LIFE!