Why does your team ride in the Ride for Roswell?
We each have our own personal reasons… some of us have had cancer ourselves or have had experiences at Roswell with loved ones, or have lost parents, siblings, friends… and many of my teammates have had consultations with Roswell doctors for particular concerns, and they know what an amazing place it is. Many of us work either directly with or in support of biomedical research, and so we know first hand how important funding is. No cure for cancer can be found without a ton of money, and we are dedicated to helping Roswell fund projects to do just that.
What is your favorite part about Ride Weekend?
That’s easy. The actual Ride is great, but I love the Celebration of Hope. My first Celebration happened in the middle of my breast cancer treatments. I didn’t have hair (maybe a little peach fuzz), nor did I actually ride a bike that year, but I was feeling the RFR love big time. The Celebration of Hope 2016 was a night I’ll never, ever forget. I was a month post-surgery, and still faced a summer of radiation, but that night, it was all about the Ride. I felt supported, I felt peaceful, and I felt inspired. The community that surrounded me lifted me up in a way I could never have imagined, and that’s definitely not something I had ever felt before. Each year I love bringing our team together and having a blast, while reflecting on why we do the Ride.
What does leading a team mean to you?
It’s empowering. It gives me a tangible way to not only fight cancer, but to give back to the place that helped me through the darkest days of my life- and continues to do so. My colleagues, friends and family and I have grown even closer as we work together to host our annual big fundraising event, come up with new ideas to engage with our communities and raise money, and attend RFR events throughout the year. We have a great time together, as we are all a little bit crazy! 🙂 We have become a “framily” and I am very proud of the work we do. We strive to be in the top 100 teams every year, to do our very best for Roswell Park.
