Author: Matt.Kianka

Featured Team: Team Shuno

Posted on by Matt.Kianka

Why does your team ride in the Ride for Roswell?

When we started as a Team of 8 in 2018, it was a few years after my sister in law underwent treatments for Breast Cancer and my mom started her battle with Lung Cancer. In the summer of 2014 we lost my uncle Ralph to Throat Cancer. In October of 2015, on the same day that we learned of my wife’s Breast Cancer diagnosis, my mom went to the hospital with what would be the spread of her cancer to her brain. Shortly after that, with my mom and my wife dealing with their surgeries and treatments, my dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. In the spring of 2017 my friend Susan Tanner lost her valiant battle with metastatic Breast Cancer. Needless to say, it was a rough few years. With all that had happened we felt the need to do something to not only celebrate those that were still with us and honor those that we lost, but also to do something to help the cause in some way. The Ride For Roswell was the perfect opportunity and we have been riding and growing as a team ever since! This year we will have 15 riders from Buffalo, Olean, Rochester and Vermont!

What does leading a team mean to you?

I feel a tremendous sense of pride to be able to organize our families and do something to help this cause that has affected us in such profound ways.

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

There are so many things I love about Ride weekend. At the top of the list is the Celebration of Hope. It’s a chance to slow down from all the prep and remember why we are riding. Although it’s always a very emotional event, it is also incredibly uplifting and empowering.

Team Page

Featured Team: Andrea’s Army

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The Ride for Roswell is very meaningful to my family. We’ve had many experiences with cancer through numerous family members. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Grandchildren, young and old, so many have experienced cancer in one way or another. The team, Andrea’s Army, is named after my sister Andrea who battled Stage 4 Kidney cancer at the young age of 28 years old. She put up an extremely courageous battle against cancer and never gave up. We like to raise money and ride every year in her memory to continue her fight against cancer. Her generous and joyous spirit lives on in us and in this event.

What does leading a team mean to you?

Leading Andrea’s Army is very bittersweet for me. I wish my sister Andrea were by my side to lead her team herself. I feel her energy through the love and support I have received over the past 9 years from friends and family alike.

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

Waiting at the start line is always my favorite part. The excitement from the community of people around me is always overwhelming! Then, when I push the pedals and take off, riding through the crowd of supportive strangers cheering and ringing their bells is such a wonderful feeling. I am so happy to be part of this event year after year.

Team Andrea's Army

Featured Rider: Roxanne Farrell

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Why do you participate in the Ride for Roswell?

My mother passed away at the age of 42 from lung cancer. We never knew she had cancer. My Grandmother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer the first few years of my life. I remember her being sick from the chemo and radiation. My grandfather passed away from Skin cancer. Too many family members have had cancer. I want to help to find cures so it’s not always a death sentence, but curable.

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

The love and support of the Thousands of riders and volunteers all coming together for this one amazing cause. Because Cancer sucks, and together hopefully we can make it’s not so bad.

What have you been doing to raise funds for the Ride?

Asking friends, family, and co-workers. Collecting every single penny, nickel, dime, quarter I find on the road, parking lot, floor and call them my “pennies from heaven”.

Visit Roxanne's Page

Featured Rider: Casey Dahlstrom

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Why do you participate in the Ride for Roswell?

I’ve been fighting back against cancer for over 30 years, since I was diagnosed at 3 years old. 30 years later, I am now the caregiver for my mother. I fight because it is necessary, and to create a better tomorrow.

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

Riding over your name at the start of the Peloton (knowing the impact of your fundraising), and finishing the ride to a cheering crowd and rolling over your own name amongst a sea of survivors at the finish line? It’s the best emotional roller coaster I’ve ever been on.

What have you been doing to raise funds for the Ride?

To meet my goal each year of riding in the Peloton, I exchange artwork I complete for donations, as well as spreading awareness of my fight online for the world to see.

Visit Casey's Page

Featured Team: Cycling for Sue

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Why does your team ride in the Ride for Roswell?

2019 was Team Cycling for Sue’s first year riding. The previous fall after only five months we lost my wife Sue and my children Kody and Teal’s mom to the horrible disease of lung cancer. My brother Jeff suggested to me that we ride in her memory. It was and still is a very emotional event to participate in as all the memories of her come flooding back. While originally riding for her, hence the name Cycling for Sue, since then we have lost a number of friends and family to some type of cancer and it has opened up our eyes to see how so many are effected by Cancer. While the team is still Cycling for Sue, we ride in memory of all those that we have lost and for those that are fighting to survive.

Team Cycling for Sue

What does leading a team mean to you?

Leading the Cycling for Sue team gives me comfort that quite possibly the funds we raise might save someone’s life and have someone advert the loss of a loved one. Sue was about helping others. Whether it was with a meal, a friendly call or a shoulder to cry on she was always there for others. I know she is looking down on us and smiling for all that we are doing for others.

               

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

My favorite part of the Ride Weekend is that it gets so many people together for such a great cause. While tears flow with the memories the ride also teaches us that so many are helped at Roswell and that it is Roswell that gives someone the chance to ring the bell!

Featured Rider: Vincent Black

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Why do you participate in the Ride for Roswell?

My father, Bob Black, has two kinds of cancer. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and non-malignant melanoma. At least every six months, my dad goes in to Roswell Part to check on his WBCs to make sure his leukemia is under control. The staff at Roswell Park have always been accommodating, and the environment they provide for their patients brings comfort beyond what we’ve seen in other hospitals. I remember when his first blood test showed an elevated WBC count, I went with him to his first appointment at Roswell. It was mid-morning, and we were sitting in the lobby, Tim Horton’s in hand, waiting anxiously to be called back. In the lobby, there’s a piano that we noticed when we walked in. While we were waiting, a man sat down and started to play a tune. That was how we found out about the “Music in the Lobby” program, with a melody bringing calm to a stressful morning. I’m participating in the Ride for Roswell to help support programs like that, and to fund research to improve patient outcomes.

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

This is my first ride! My favorite part is going to be taking it all in and experiencing it firsthand.

What have you been doing to raise funds for the Ride?

I’ve been reaching out directly to my friends, family, and colleagues to solicit donations. I don’t have a big social media presence, so I’ve taken a more personal touch!

Visit Vincent's Page

Featured Rider: Breanna Voigt

Posted on by Matt.Kianka

Why do you participate in the Ride for Roswell?

This year I am participating for my sister, mom and myself. This past year I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had my surgery and treatment through RPCI. My sister was diagnosed with bladder cancer as well this year. I want to raise funds to help researchers not only find better treatments but ultimately better screening tests so cancer can be detected at its earliest stage possible.
Breanne Voigt with family

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

My favorite part about ride weekend is the starting and finish line. I get chills riding through all of the cheering people and overwhelmed with emotion thinking about who I’m riding for that day.

What have you been doing to raise funds for the Ride?

To raise funds I’ve been sharing my story on Facebook and Instagram along with asking for donations.

Visit Breanna's Page

Featured Team: Flak Pack Family & Friends

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Why does your team ride in the Ride for Roswell?

I have worked at Roswell for almost 16 years and have an absolute compassion for what I do. My family and I are no strangers to the word cancer as we have lost family to this unforgivable disease. In 2020 it hit close to home as my daughter and I were diagnosed with cancer 2 months apart from one another. Last year was my first time participating as a rider as I rode to support our family, friends and all Roswell patients, while my family supported me on my journey. This year we decided to do this as a family and support all those affected by this terrible disease.
Flak Pak team photo
Flak Pack team selfie

What is your favorite part about Ride Weekend?

That feeling of love and compassion from every soul there, as we pull together as one family with one goal….support in helping find the cure.

What does leading a team mean to you?

It is an honor and a privilege to be part of the journey and this would not be possible without the love and support of our whole team.
Visit Team Page

Featured Rider: Sydney Dobmeier

Posted on by Matt.Kianka

Why do you participate in the Ride for Roswell?

I started riding when I was only 4 years old because I saw my parents ride, it looked like fun, and I really wanted to do the same thing. I asked them to let me do it, and even though I was still on training wheels, they did! The are many reasons I ride now and why the Ride is important to me. It gives me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself and to contribute to something really great. I now know how the Ride benefits all of the patients at Roswell, and this is the motivation that pushes me to raise more and more each year. I want to reach out to the patients at Roswell and let them know that everyone at the Ride is here for them.
Sydney Dobmeier "Warriors on Wheelz $7,360 raised for Ride for Roswell 2021"

What is your favorite part about Ride weekend?

My favorite part about the Ride Weekend is the community of riders and participants that are there to cheer each other on. From the beginning of the Ride to the end, with cowbells and everything, they let you know that they are there to support and appreciate what you are doing.

What have you been doing to raise funds for the Ride?

To raise funds for the Ride, I have done many things over the past few years – from selling baked goods to asking my family and friends to donate to my ride instead of giving me birthday presents. This year I have many ideas planned, including creating commissioned artwork, selling crafts and other homemade goods, and many other ideas that are still being put into action. This year I plan to use my creativity to come up with many different ways that I can make money and achieve my goal!
Visit Sydney's Page

Featured Team: Team Madonia

Posted on by Matt.Kianka

Why does your team ride in the Ride for Roswell?

Team Madonia participates in the Ride for Roswell each year to honor the memory of Jacob Madonia. Jake fought a courageous 10 year battle with synovial sarcoma and passed away in 2018 at age 30. Though Jake was diagnosed at a young age, he never let cancer hold him back from the things he wanted to accomplish in life. He received his Masters degree and BSN from UB, he was a decorated collegiate athlete and became a devoted husband and father. Jake was not only a patient at Roswell, he was also a dedicated oncology nurse. He used his experience to educate others about his disease and push himself and his fellow nurses to provide superior care to their patients. His unique perspective made him an exceptional nurse who could connect with patients in a way many other nurses could not. Jake was special to so many people he crossed paths with in his life. Team Madonia is made up of family, friends, co-workers, and many others who had the chance to connect with Jake over the years in the different facets of his life. What brings us together each year for the Ride for Roswell is our mutual love for the incredible person we knew, our mutual heartbreak that we lost him much too soon to cancer, and the hope that our efforts will lead to a cure, so no one else has to lose someone as special to them as Jake was to all of us.

Team Madonia team member poses for photo
Team Madonia group photo

What is your favorite part about Ride Weekend?

My favorite part of ride weekend is lining up at the start line in my team shirt with all the Team Madonia riders knowing we are all there to fight cancer and honor Jake. I know he would be proud of us all.

What does leading a team mean to you?

I am honored each year to be captain of Team Madonia. Our team is comprised of amazing and compassionate people coming together to find a cure for cancer that robbed us all of one of our favorite people. I am incredibly proud of what Team Madonia has accomplished over the past several years.

Visit Team Page

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Contact.

Office address.

Elm and Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263

Phone number.

716-THE-RIDE
(716-843-7433)

Email.

rideforroswell@roswellpark.org

Join our mailing list.

Click Here.

Office address.

Elm and Carlton Streets
Buffalo, NY 14263

Phone number.

716-THE-RIDE
(716-843-7433)

Email.

rideforroswell@roswellpark.org

Join our mailing list.

Click Here.

Quicklinks.

Proceeds directly benefit:

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center logo

Copyright 2023.

Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.

Copyright 2023.

Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.