Chip Engler, his sister, Laurie, and his mother, Beatrice, make quite the team. They’re teaming up as volunteers for The 2018 Ride For Roswell. The family will be jumping into a Support and Gear (SAG) vehicle to assist riders throughout Ride Day.
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center holds a special place in the hearts of all three. Beatrice was diagnosed with breast cancer after going to Roswell Park with her sister for a breast cancer screening, which discovered a lump. Chip was 28 years old, and Laurie was 26.
Beatrice had a biopsy, which indicated cancer, and then a lumpectomy. She opted not to receive any chemotherapy or radiation, but did take the BRCA gene test in June 2008.
She’ll be 87 years old in a few months. She has Roswell Park to thank for all these years, Beatrice said.
Volunteering as a Family
She is the heart and soul of the family’s crusade against cancer, and they’re participating in this year’s Ride because of her.
For Chip, it’s his first time participating in The Ride. He gets immense joy out of giving back and helping others. He’s a veteran SAG driver, but this will be his first year driving at The Ride and he’s really looking forward to helping out any way he can.
For Laurie, while this is her first time being a volunteer, she’s no stranger to The Ride. She participated as a rider three times previously, twice on the 20-mile route and once on the 30-mile.
Both Chip and Laurie credit the care and support Beatrice received at Roswell Park with her beating breast cancer. Additionally, the results of the genetic testing allowed family members to be on high alert, stay up to date on checkups and get the testing done themselves, which is exactly what Beatrice’s granddaughter Holly did.
“Had she not received the care she did, had she not been here to have that testing done, I would not have been able to have that testing done,” Holly says.
So if you see a SAG vehicle cruising around The Ride, it may just be the Englers.
Both Chip and Laurie are extremely happy and proud to contribute “back to Roswell because they helped my mom out,” Chip says.
Laurie says The Ride is a fun way to be a part of something that is such a huge part of the community because you see the way it takes over the news – everyone in Buffalo is aware of it. What does she hope for?
“I am hoping that one of these years we will raise enough money to end cancer,” she says.
