I remember after the first wrong turn pulling up next to the LEGGGS support car that was following us and saying I speak Cow, should I ask them where we missed our turn?
We started out on our 1st 6 hour shift last night on awesome flat roads. Morgans magnent she stole and wrote our team a little love note was on the back of the van staring at us. It was a tear jerker. The awesome flat roads were quickly interupted by a 2nd stop at a 4 way…… I hear Kim yell from the Van….. JERRY TOOK MY MAPS! I look at our fire flies and said…. well crap, I don’t speak cow that much! The 3rd wrong turn or straight turn was on a Highway with cars, and trucks and people traveling over 65 mph….. There were no cows to ask for directions. We made it safely off that highway ( thank god…… that was a little scary) and soon we hit the Hills, or should I say, a 10 mile stretch of 2-3% grade. That was about 2.5 hours into our ride. Rotating turns about every 8 min was nice, it helps too when you have your sag van blaring music through the CB radios we carry. There was a point that the sag van got away from us and I looked up and saw the beautiful night sky. I never saw the Moon or a milty way last night but the stars…….. the stars were amazing. I tried to think of the reasons why I ride this ride.
This is the 5th year on this journey. Every year is different. But every reason is the same. Because I care. I care when I meet a stranger at a gas station that asks…. Is this a race? Nope… I say, We are raising awareness and funds for cancer research. I have never met anyone yet who has not thanked us and told us a story. I cant say that I love their stories, but I love the twinkle they get in their eyes when they hear why we are riding. I love seeing their smile and hearing them say, Thank you.

The Cheers and Tears is why I do this every year…….
I miss you Nicole and Morgan, Thank you to my wonderful Sister who left me a Cheers blog! I rode for Gil and Bert Last night as I looked up at the stars…..
TO the TRACE we go tonight. Our dedication ride will be a tough one. Needing a lot of prayers as I will be listening to my College Roommate, who has been my Sag Momma for the past 4 years, go through her list of children that she rides for. She does the ride from 4 wheels instead of 2 (which as you can tell from the above…. is equally challenging!) But her tears and cheers are the same that come from my heart. I love her for all that she does and will hold her hand tonight in my heart as she dedicates her ride for the countless children she has lost or cares for in their cancer battle. My sweet angel Dawn Elaine, tonight I dedicate my ride to you…… For All that you Do! We have to remember that this journey is not only for family and friends, but for all those doctors and nurses who show up day after day and care….. just like we do… I love you Dawn Elaine, with all my heart…. and I thank you for not only being a wonderful friend, but an amazing nurse.   xxooxoxoxoxo

Dear Family, Friends, and Followers,

A quick hello from the “quiet” Jerry.  Raining in Huntsville, TX just hours before our next leg.  Had a great meal of Italian and sitting in a crowded Starbucks sipping coffee and blogging away.

Almost lost my bike today with a bad skewer connection on the Team Awesome van’s rack.  Led to Bo putting a sign on it that he found that read “Free Bike”.  Earned me the mantle of Calamity J.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all your support.

LOVESTRONG, LIVESTRONG.

JERRY

We have 8 warriors this year.  This ride is all about you and the people we meet along the way who are waging a war with cancer.  To Susan, Chris, Whitney, Beth, Angie and Murray,  we think about you all everytime we get on the bike.  To Dale McDaris and Scott Shuey, we feel you with us every mile of the way.

Today was the send-off for the riders on the trip. Great sunny brisk day, and lots of family, friends, and love at the send-off. Long live P3C3, and may the donations and efforts of everyone involved find it’s way into the lives of thousands of cancer warriors and inspire all!

You can keep track of the group’s current position here: http://wurl.ws/91cG

Have a great ride guys, we’re all here rootin for ya!

As the departure date approaches I know the excitement is building and last minute preparations are being made as I have been following all the emails from the beginning and will follow your blogs along the way.  I can’t wait to read all the new experiences.

I just wanted to say for those of you who will be riding and those who will be the warriors for 09….I will be thinking of you all and fondly remembering the wonderful experience I had last year as a warrior. I was privileged to ride along the way.

I thank you riders for your dedication to this ride as it helps all of us going through the devastating disease of cancer feel a little more hope that through these types of events, one day there will be more for fighting this disease than chemo and chance.  There will be cures! Cure is a word that as a cancer survivor has become my mantra and I will never lose hope for a cure because there are folks like you who continue the fight when we can’t.

I also want to say to the support folks along the way, the ride wouldn’t be possible without you – so thanks to you too. Riders you are in “good hands” with Renee and Dennis. Get it….(had to throw that in)

You all will be in my thoughts and prayers that God watches over you as you travel to Austin either by bike, car or plane.

Again I thank you GO TEAM!

Janet Rigdon

ovarian cancer survivor – 9 yrs and still in my journey but never giving up HOPE!

Just Two Words

As I was searching my heart for just the right words to say to you guys for this incredible commitment and display of strength, I just kept coming back to two simple words. Nothing extravagant or powerful, nothing glamorous or well-rehearsed, not a well-written quote with great punctuation, not a poem with a beautiful rhyme or a long story filled with intrigue and passion.  Just two words;

“Thank You”

Angie Suttles, Survivor

Wow… That’s all I can say.

A few weeks ago Bo and I had not raised $5000 of our $10000 goal.  We were trying to figure out which one of us would stay home.  We made this commitment to honor the memory of our friend David and it was absolutely killing us to think that we wouldn’t be able to fulfill it… and now we sit $500 away from our goal… and we are going to fulfill our commitment!

If not for the Grace of God… the goodness of those around us… our fellow riders helping us out… family, friends, friends of friends of friends donating… We are going to Ride for David… and Jerry… and Laurens… and Jan… and Aunt Mary… and Pat… and Crystal… and Janeen… and Maura… and Uncle Bud… and Uncle Buddy… and John… and Helen… and Jim … and Betty … and Roger… and Scott… and the list goes on.  That’s what sucks… the list goes on… like it never ends… every person we talk to has more people to add to the list… We need to shorten the list!  You in?

My friend, Scott Shuey, just died less than 12 hours ago, today October 5, 2009 after his courageous fight with lymphoma.  Scott was only 45 years old.  Scott was a Christ follower, devoted husband, devoted father and one heck of a cyclist and runner.  I rode in his honor last year and he had planned on riding with us to Texas this year before his lymphoma recurred.  I had the opportunity to spend time with Scott and Kim, his wife, last Monday – he was truly a Great Man and God has granted Kim great strength and perspective throughout this whole ordeal.  I told Scott that the only way I finished my first full century ride last month was by thinking of his strength and by “drafting off him” when I felt like quitting.  I think Scott knew: “…to live is Christ and to die is gain” Phil 1:21, so while we lost a great one, he is now healed and home.

            So Scott (ScottStrong) this P3C3 Challenge to Conquer Cancer ride to Texas is for you and I will only make it by “drafting off you”

 

Chasse

Well, the time has come that I think I am coherent enough to write.  So here goes.  If I start to ramble and babble, I have been doing that for 6 days now so please forgive.   I am still missing so many hours of sleep that I am a little loopy.  Massage therapy is something that I did not start till…..uh…..middle age.  I would never have thought I would be interested in working on a persons feet, gams or gluts, but I have such a passion for helping through massage therapy (especially sports massage) that I surprised myself at how much and how long I was able to keep going on this amazing project. I haven’t actually sat down to figure it out, but I think I hit the majority of team transitions and did sports massage.  I wish I could have hit all the transitions.  For me this Ride to Austin in a mommermobile (mini van) has been interesting to say the least, but we (Janet; cancer survivor, Donna; volunteer, and the occasional medic: Reuben or Keith) rock and rolled and at times seemed as if we may go postal on each other.  But somehow, we all wound up in Austin, no thanks to Keith’s stupid GPS!!!!  (Sorry Keith, you know I love you my friend)  I now know why I just don’t care to go any place I can’t figure out by map.  That GPS took us down backroads and places that (I am not joking ), can NOT exist on the planet.  One night while attempting to locate a transition point (I do not even know what day or which team at this point, and maybe I really did not even know then) with Janet driving and per GPS coordinates, we found ourselves on some road, and I say that loosely, that was actually restricted!  NO LIE……Janet saw the sign!  Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that sez, Paddle faster, I hear banjo music…..well I think that it applies here, just not with water craft but with the mommermobil.  Pitch black, there were lights in the crop fields.  Maybe a close encounter was about to happen…..maybe it was Area 51, I don’t know but the three of us, Janet (driver at this time), Donna, and I were getting a little more than concerned, Keith doesn’t even count at this point because it was his GPS that got us there.  All he kept saying was, ”keep going”.  We did see blow up Halloween paraphernalia, Mr. Pumpkinhead and Casper the friendly ghost, along the way.  I don’t even know how we got back on track.  Anyway, that poor ole’ massage table saw some interesting places to be set up for sports massage like Waffle House parking lots at 7:00 a.m., abandoned gas stations….get the point?!  I do not think that I have EVER been so stinking tired in my life.  I really do not even think that I ever got any sleep, just tiny little cat naps and I have never been so honoured to do my part in this thing called the “Challenge to Conquer Cancer”. I worked on some dirty, stinky, sore, cranky cyclists, but I can tell you that when they got off my table, they were smiling.  I have seen some massage hogs in my time, but this was ridiculous.  Those boys and girls just kept on saying, “Can you work on my hamstring…..my butt hurts, can you help my shoulder, what do you think is up with that pain in my quad…..Ouch!  That hurts……my lower back is killing me……What can you do about this pain in my neck………what is going on there!  Oh, the list just goes on and on, but I have had a blast working on you kids.  I even have had two massage virgins on my table during this trip.  Okay, don’t get the wrong idea, that just means that those people have NEVER had massage.  Thanks Rob D. and Crystal M. for trusting me with your owees, (is that a word in the dictionary?). Even Donna (volunteer), and Janet (cancer survivor) got in on the act of learning massage so that we triple teamed some of the cyclists.  Those cyclists were in heaven.  Some of the boys and girls just did not want to get off the table.  Jonathan Pait and Matt Tebbetts (Team 1), you guys are true massage hogs to the max.  Ed Hernando (Team 2) actually fell asleep on my table in Florida somewhere in front of a Beef O’ Brady’s on a very busy street.  Talk about tired!  John Harris was still having issues with his tissues even last night.  The sore, tight, and general achy-all-over list is still growing.  I seem to be still on duty, of my own choosing though.  I just can’t walk by some of the kids without asking them if they need some work.

Well, there is still much to write, however, I have to be careful, because every time I get still, I start fading.  I actually went back to edit and finish this blog and just nodded off..no lie!   Tomorrow morning is the 5K and I am helping with a wonderful person that Dennis and I met this afternoon, Kim Crane.  Kim is an incredible cancer survivor that met up with Ron Jerina last year.  Ron is going to push her in her wheelchair in the 5K and a number of people have offered to help.  I volunteered to help as well and am excited to be able to to do so.  It is early to be going to bed at 8:35 p.m. but I can’t seem to keep my eyes open and my typing is getting slower so I am going to call it a night.  Got to get up early in the morning.  To the Zeiger family and friends who have sent us good wishes, keep em’ coming.  By the way…………………can anyone recommend a good massage therapist, I am in need of some hamstring work.  It started cramping this morning on our ride in to Austin.

LiveSTRONG, ROCKon

Renee’ K-Z

p.s.  I love all my new massage hogs……23 was the last count I think!!!!

As Keith called to tell me that he made it Austin with the cyclists and that they were just as jazzed (if not more) after the ride as they were starting out on the ride, I opened my email and found an incredible surprise awaiting me. This is one of those moments that as a survivor, you get to make a connection-one of the most human, but one of the biggest payoffs you could make. I thought that this was the most appropriate thing to share with all of your P3C3 fans and fellow cyclists who have embraced Keith as he served on the bus to support the effort and has recently begun to cycle-so he can participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge. Get a kleenex….it’s a moment!

 

Dear Julie,

 

You don’t know me and I don’t know you but the story of your husband has given me courage and inspiration to pursue my work this morning and why I am waking up early and going late to bed at night every day.

 

I have joined Bradmer Pharmaceuticals in December last year and all the minutes of my professional life are devoted to the BRAD-301 / GLASS-ART Study.  Before that, this Study was to me complex and challenging in implementing it (with the help of the Duke team) in all the targeted sites (we have 5 open as of today and more to come in the near future) hoping that all these efforts will be making a difference into someone life.  Seeing its logo on the back of the shirt of your husband this morning gave me chills and wings to fly higher from now on.  Why someone remotely involved into the Study would want to carrying it on its back if it was not for bringing courage, hope and inspiration into someone else life.

 

This is a turning perspective that I was not expecting this morning and I am tremendously grateful to you and Keith for bringing real life into this adventure.

 

May your life continue to be wonderful to both of you and your family,

 

Thanks for inspiring me to continue my daily work,

 

I am sending myself courage and hope to you and Keith (and all the other participants) and may this biking adventure brings more awareness into this disease,

 

Enjoy your day,

 

Hélène

 

Hélène Dulude B.Pharm. Ph.D.
Director, Clinical Development-Bradmer Pharmaceuticals

Life is not waiting for the storm to pass… 

It is learning to dance in the rain!

 

This has become one of my favorite inspirations because to me it not only depicts the way I have come to view life, but it is also the way I have chosen to deal with cancer. These two sentences took on a whole new meaning this week as I had the privilege to accompany and support a dedicated group of cyclist from Greenville, SC to Austin, TX  and through it all it has been a

learning experience about the human spirit.

 

These cyclists took on a challenge and they are meeting this challenge with true spirit and one common goal in mind to ERADICATE CANCER!

 

Sunday, Oct 19^th  the morning of departure, there was no mistaking that the air was not only filled with a chill, but also determination and anticipation of the upcoming ride, you could almost see the faces of  the personal stories in each riders face and know why they are riding. The long awaited journey was here and now they were ready. All the preparation would soon pay off. It was heartwarming to see the crowd of well wishers and those who wished they could go, come out to give the riders a proper send off and you could tell the riders were grateful.

 

This human spirit together with their personal stories kept them focused and guided them along the way through cold nights, hilly roads and impatient travelers. Although these travelers continued to acknowledge them as number one!  Oh and let’s not forget the joy of traveling back roads and enjoying the sights and smells of road kill.

 

As they ended their daily rides of sometimes 90 plus miles, they walked about obviously filled with aches and pains from sore, fatigued muscles and bloodshot sleepy eyes. Yet the smiles and encouragement was abundant. Business was conducted on cell phones while lots of food was consumed and laughter was shared as though the ride was just a walk in the park with no complaints except for the razor burn, right men?

 

 Today we are on day four and the spirit is still strong. The stories are many and the gratefulness is huge. The people that gathered around out of curiosity from the towns we stopped in and the acts of kindness like police escorts were always welcomed. Each day is a new adventure especially with the wonderful GPS systems that took you places you never knew existed.  We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

 

As a cancer survivor I am grateful to all of you for all your hard work and for all the money raised for the fight against cancer.  You never know which dollar or which mile peddled could very well be the one that gets us closer to the never ending hope for a cure.

 

There just doesn’t seem to be the right words to say as Thank you is not enough. These riders have taken on the challenge to ride for all those currently in their cancer journey, those who their journey has come to an end and for those in the future, rather than sit and wait for the storm to pass….they are truly dancing in the rain.

 

YOU GUYS ROCK! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

Janet Rigdon

Support Team

 

 

 

It felt like the old days…staying on top of details, going without sleep for more than 18 hours…now I remember why I can’t do that anymore! I was on the bus serving as navigator from somewhere east of Mobile to the west of Baton Rouge…and looked forward to flopping in a hotel for rest!

Hey…a shout out to Rob Dempsey of HIS Radio who has dedicated his time to ride on the P3C3 and cover the event from the road on his Blog

Rob interviewed me and broadcast it on HIS RADIO…I love sharing my story.

The reason that I am doing this event is to inspire others that have been told that you only have months to live and prove that a statistic is just that…it doesn’t take away your passion for life, your soul for God, or your body’s will to serve and survive!
Though it is Duke’s motto…At Duke…there is hope. there are great physicians, nurses, advocates, family members, policy makers and survivors who are making cancer a national priority, a personal war on cancer and I am honored to get to know several on this ride this week. I know that we have touched many lives throughout this journey in each town that we have ridden through.

Team 5 is the all-girls team and has quite a story to tell about their journey.

I hadn’t eaten much on my long stretch but the armadillo road kill at least didn’t tempt me! On another note, we found it interesting that Georgia had a lot of road kill, Alabama had none, and Mississippi had little. The team discussion was focused on rumors of ‘Bama BBQ…I can say that ’cause my family is from Alabama.

My wife has been posting other blog entries on the Brain Tumor Awareness Organization blog for me since I haven’t been able to.
Well, catch you later!

1996-It all started when I was doing my usual Dad thing, changing my son’s diaper and he kicked me…and 4 days later, it still hurt. Friday I was getting my gear ready to start my full time job on Monday, but at 4:15 pm, I was diagnosed with aggressive testicular cancer. Thanks to my doctor, within 30 minutes, I was enrolled in a program for cancer patients without insurance and on Monday, I had surgery. I knew that banking sperm was a decision that my wife and I had to discuss and since we had been blessed with a girl and a boy, we opted out. The cancer had metastasized to my lung wall but hadn’t penetrated the wall. 13 radiation treatments later, I was a survivor.

2002- I was acting supervisor on duty at EMS headquarters when I suffered a grand mal seizure when I was dispatched to ironically-a seizure call. I was unable to seek medical treatment until shift’s end and no one gave me an CT scan. After losing my job, I began working for another agency, where my second grand mal seizure occurred. Due to their loss the previous year of a medic to a brain tumor, I was given an CT scan and told that I had six months to live. After my first surgery, my wife knew where to take me for treatment. I went to Duke and met with Dr. Henry Friedman who had spoken about a clinical trial that had increased survival-the monoclonal antibodies regimen. I have a port into my left lobe where my treatment was given. This trial is now the GLASS-ART trial and being offered in other clinical trial sites.

I am six years cancer and necrosis free! I believe in God, I believe in life, and I LIVESTRONG!

 

 

Last week was an unforgettable week.  Running into a lot of unanswered test results which will cause more confusion down the road…, and probably one of the most memorable sports weeks of my life next to Playing exhibition for the Women’s USA Polo Tournament.

On our night ride I pondered over something in a conversation, that has really made me rethink the way I approach things.  As an athlete, I challenge myself and put a lot of pressure on being the best I can be at all times.  A lot of that comes from playing on the US Polo Team.  Intense, Pressure, Politics and never say I CANT, not Today.  That was actually written in first 3 years of my contracts I signed. 

 I put a lot on my “plate” I think to help deal with the uncertainties that comes with the word Cancer. For me, I have never done Chemo or Radiation. But always in the back of my head, Cancer ticks away like a timer on a bomb.  Never really knowing when it will go off.  How will my family cope if it the skin cancer is worse this time? What will this one be like?  Each biopsy is a surgery.  I keep hoping that they will find one in an area that can be sucked out rather then cut out. (little humor there!!) 

Serious note…. I think that I personally have been dealing with this by maybe hiding behind what I put on my plate.  My plate is always full.  I never ever remember going back for seconds. My plate just fills up on its own.  I like to stay busy, I can’t say No Not Today.  I enjoy the challenge of trying to see how many things I can do at one time and still maintain being a Christian, a Wife and Mommy, and holding a full time job.  Looking back this week and breathing a little bit from training I finally admitted to my husband and myself that I do have these fears.  That it hurts to talk about it all.  And yes, I do believe I hide myself with the challenges I put before me. 

Last week I totalled: 27 miles in running…..300 miles in riding ( my first 100 miler ever with Rob on Sunday!!!)…. 3 miles of swimming…. 2 hours of core training…5 hours of car pool…. 4 hours cooking dinners…. 3 hours cleaning…. 3 hours in prayer….. 2 TV dates with my husband… 5 snuggle time nights with my kids… and I put in 48 hours at work and spent 3 hours with Dr.’s.  That is one heck of plate.

So this week I promised myself to really look at what I do and what I really need to do.  And I agree with my original thought. I challenge myself way to much.  I don’t know if I can change at my age. I have at least acknowledge my fears.  That is the first step.  The tears came when I talked to my husband.. and the Nots is what I am going to have to try to incorporate into my vocabulary.

Kevin made a comment with me one day, that he hopes that people who are volunteering understand the real reason why they are being asked to join this team, This Family, This Ride.  It is a state of mind, that someday, in someway you, your loved one, your best friend might have cancer….and how would you want to help that person.  I know what I would say……….  I have a better feeling about myself knowing what I have discovered and I know what I might warn them against……. I know the first thing that would come out of my mouth…… I even know the first card I would write….I know that I would cry with them, laugh with them and even dance with them to make them laugh….  Most importantly I would tell them I am trying my hardest to help make a difference with their treatment. 

Everyone handles Cancer in a different way.  There is no right or wrong way there is only YOUR way.  Livestrong really takes a meaning when you take all this into consideration doesn’t it.  Each person has their story. 

So, that is my blog for tonight.  Last week was a hard week but a week that I will cheerish. It had my very first night ride, and my very first 100 miler (99.6) and an opportunity for me this week to slow down and reflect on the person that I have challenge myself to be.  Without this opportunity I would never had gone through this process.