| CANCER FREE CENTURY RIDE
JULY 11, 2009
OUR SPONSORS GAVE.....
$22,243!
to support the cancer research efforts of
Dr. Andrew Zelenetz
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (NYC)
Lymphoma
Dr. Joachim Yahalom
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (NYC)
Lymphoma Radiation
Dr. David Jones
University of Virginai Health System (Charlottesville, VA)
Lung Cancer
|
|
|
We did it! All 101 miles!
We were in the saddle for 7:02 and on the road just over 8.5 hours. Brenda and Melissa did a stellar job of driving the SAG wagon (support vehicle) and no one was stressed or distressed all day long. A total of 8 Riders joined the effort. I was older by a factor of 2 than the next youngest rider, my son Austin. This was one of those days I'll never forget.
First I want to say no father could be prouder of his sons. They coached, coddled, encouraged and force fed me throughout the day. If I never eat another "Gu" it will be too soon. Mason plotted the course. Austin and his wife Melissa sprung for the expense to travel from their home in Raleigh to join us.
Team chemistry was teriffic. All of the young riders took me under their wing and willed me around the course. Danielle Russell and Coral Ferguson were our two female riders. They both whipped me on the climbs! But due to physics (weight) and my lack of prudence, they had nothing on me on the descents.
Dana Mosman and Stefan Bullock, two of Mason's friends went the whole distance with us. Both are complete gentlemen with superb biking skills and manners.
Along the way we met another of Mason's friends, Sean, going the opposite direction. He turned and joined us for the last 50 miles.
This was a first century ride for me, son Austin, and Coral! Coral is moving to Girona, Spain in August to be with her boyfriend Will Frischkorn of Garmin-Slipstream fame. I think our next century should be in Girona!
For all of you who supported this effort, thanks. Please enjoy the pictures we took.
|
Brenda and I began making contributions directly to the research efforts of Dr. Z and Dr. Y at Memorial Sloan Kettering after they cured me in ‘98. Ditto for Dr. Jones at UVA who saved Brenda in ‘05. We know for certain our funds are being put to specific good use.
Dr. Z, as we affectionately refer to him, is big time in the lymphoma field (http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/158.cfm). His office is quite literally a laboratory. He prescribed a course of chemo, unknown to my local oncologist at the time, that killed my disease overnight. He gave me great advice saying, “We know the enemy and we know how to kill it. Now go home, live your life, show up at the doctor’s office when we tell you to, and don’t read anything on the internet.”
Dr. Y is a delightful radiation oncologist from Israel who does nothing but radiate lymphomas (http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/186.cfm). He had the knowledge, experience and courage to save my salivary glands, greatly improving my current quality of life. This would likely not have been done elsewhere.
Several times over the past few years while in NYC, Brenda and I have dropped in independently to visit Drs. Z & Y unannounced. They always take time to see and visit with us. Astounding.
Dr. Jones is at the top of his class in thoracic surgery, and in lung cancer research (http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/people/dop/dopDetail.cfm?drid=587). He spent about 8 hours saving most of Brenda’s lung and vastly improving her future quality of life. We have become personal friends of he and his wife Julie who are from Lewisburg, WV.
|
And from Dr. Jones
It is just wonderful that you are getting this level of support. Julie and I think what you’re doing is truly inspirational and we are so supportive.
David David R. Jones MD
Professor of Surgery
Division Chief, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
PO Box 800679
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0679
| 
Click here to see a progress report on Dr. Jones work. |
And in a nice email to me Dr. Z wrote.........
Austin,
This is a very nice thing you are doing. Too bad I did not know about it sooner as I would have trained to ride with you. Though I have done many century rides, I have been off the bike too long to jump on and ride 100 miles.
Good luck with your ride. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
Andrew D Zelenetz, MD, PhD
Chief, Lymphoma Service
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212-639-2656
|
Although I'm cancer free and very likely to stay that way, here's what Dr. Yahalom had to say in a note to me........
GIVING A SECOND CHANCE FOR CURE
"Although most patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are cured with their initial therapy, at MSKCC we see patients from all over the country whose original treatment failed."
"For those we developed a unique high-dose chemotherapy combined with accelerated radiotherapy and stem cell rescue program that has been very successful. The majority of patients are cured again. After two decades of experience with over 400 patients and many improvements implemented by a dedicated team, we reported on the safety and the long-term quality of life of our cured-again survivors."
"We all learned not to give up even if the odds are sometimes against us!"
Dr. Joachim Yahalom
MSKCC
|
 |
| View from Estes Park Westward in Rocky Mtn National Park |
|
|
|
