Four Reasons: Why I Ride for Pelotonia
I shared these stories on Instagram and Facebook before Pelotonia 17. Those who participate in Pelotonia each has a reason for why they do so. Unfortunately, the common reason is cancer.
Our stories bring the Pelotonia community together. Our efforts to raise money for cancer research will help find better ways to battle cancer.
My Grandma
I ride for my Grandma Bunny.
She was the first person I knew who had cancer, and the first person I knew who died from it.
I was 7 years old, and I remember hiding and crying because I couldn’t remember her face. I still remember how sad I felt knowing that she wasn’t coming back.
Today, I remember her every time I eat an egg salad sandwich because she used to make them. I can still see her grinding up the eggs in the kitchen.
I remember watching Wheel of Fortune with her and playing on the monkey swing in her front yard. I remember playing with my sister in her basement.
I remember her every time I make or eat peanut butter fudge because she used to make it and then give us the pan once it cooled off. We’d huddle around the pan until we had scraped it clean.
And I remember my Grandma Bunny every time I ride my bike for Pelotonia.
My Friend
I ride for my dear friend MaryRuth. In September 2013, we met for dinner to catch up with each other. Throughout our conversations, I felt like she was holding on to something that she really wanted to say.
Finally, she said: “I went to the doctor, and a lump was found in my breast.”
Before her double mastectomy and before her chemotherpy treatments began, she asked if I would take photos of her so that she could remember her body before cancer. She knew that battling cancer would change her forever.
I brought my lighting and backdrop over to her house and set up a photography studio in her bedroom. She smiled for some photos and was solemn and reflective in others, but her eyes really said it all.
MaryRuth has been cancer free for over three years. And she’s not the same as she used to be. She’s stronger. She eats cleaner and strives for a non-toxic life. And she lives her life with purpose.
She is a Cancer Survivor.
I think of MaryRuth every time I ride my bike for Pelotonia.
My Niece
I ride for my niece. I hope that she never has to suffer with cancer.
Her father, a Veteran of the US Air Force, had cancer when he was younger. I have learned that this doesn’t mean that my niece automatically inherited a cancer gene.
A genetic scientist who works with cancer research at The James hospital at Ohio State said that most cancers are *not* inherited. This was a surprise to me.
Cancer.gov says, “inherited [genetic] mutations are thought to play a role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers.”
I guess that means 90 to 95 percent of all cancers are acquired through environmental and lifestyle factors.
The American Cancer Society says the most common causes of cancer are smoking and tobacco, diet and physical activity, and sun or other types of radiation.
The chances of my niece inheriting a cancer gene is small, but there is a chance that she may still acquire it in a different way.
There won’t be one miracle pill created overnight to cure every single form of cancer. Humans are genetically different, and each kind of cancer is as different as we all are. It’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of research.
I think about my niece every time I ride my bike for Pelotonia. She is 10 years old now, and I hope that there is a cure for cancer in her lifetime.
My Mom
This Saturday, I will ride my bike 45 miles for my Mom. A few weeks before Thanksgiving in 2004, she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
My Dad had called me and said that he took Mom to the hospital. He said that he knew it must be serious because she asked him to take her. She never wanted to go to the hospital.
I wanted to go home to Maine to be with my parents, but my Dad said that I should stay in Columbus. There wasn’t much that I could do there, and I felt there wasn’t much I could do at all except hope and pray.
I was at work when I got Dad’s call, and I went to the store on my lunch break. I wandered through the store while trying not to cry. I felt that I needed to get her something to let her know I was thinking about her, but I wasn’t sure what to buy.
Not able to focus on anything, I found myself in the health and beauty aisle. Here, it occurred to me that my parents probably left home in a rush. They probably didn’t pack anything to take to the hospital.
I bought a lipstick and a few items so that Mom could fix her hair: a cloth headband, a brush and a small mirror. I also bought her a deck of cards so that she would have something to do.
The items weren’t necessarily a gift, but I thought they could help her feel good even if she felt far from that.
A tumor the size of an orange was removed from my Mom’s abdomen. She was in the hospital for the holidays and began the year with cancer treatments.
My Mom battled cancer in 2005, and she won.
My Mom is a Cancer Survivor.
I will be thinking of her on Saturday, and I know she will be cheering in Maine as I ride my bike for Pelotonia.
