Riding for Roses

Almost eleven months ago, I agreed to help my son Spencer raise $25,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation to help support cancer survivors. It’s now less than five days to the deadline and we are less than $2200 away. The official total at the LAF is $23,565. In addition, we have a solid commitment for $200, and we know of $985 in donations that were mailed in before the September 6 deadline for postmarks. Counting those, Spencer has $250 to go before he reachs his goal! We could use just a little more in this final push to go over $25,000. Please donate to support cancer survivors and support Spencer’s Ride for the Roses.

October 22-26, 2004, Spencer (my then four, now five, year old son) and I were in the “green unit” (cancer ward) at Children’s Hospital of Austin. Read The Word They Say is Leukemia for more on what happened and my thoughts. During the hospital stay, Spencer and I talked about cancer a lot and how we could give back for all the help we received. In retrospect, I am not sure whether I was comforting Spencer or he was comforting me when he decided he wanted to beat my 2004 fundraising total ($5150) for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by winning a “Yellow Jersey” fundraising award. The Lance Armstrong Foundation runs an annual grass roots fundraising project and bicycle ride, the Ride for the Roses which I have done a couple of times before. The “Yellow Jersey” fundraising level is $25,000 this year and I knew it would be hard. Our plan evolved a lot over the course of the year. It has included personal appeals, a National Cancer Survivor Day at our church, three weeks at “Tour Watch 2005” watching the Tour de France while raising money from the crowds, and this blog.

I am humbled by the outpouring of support. Friends have donated generously and passed the word. I routinely review the fundraising logs to find a long list of names I don’t recognize, some from here in Austin, many from far away. Strangers who stumble upon this blog have donated. People who haven’t got the resources to donate have asked how to help (one thing I suggest is volunteer for the Ride for the Roses to help make the Ride work – I’ll post others later). The owners of my favorite coffee shop (It’s a Grind at 620 and Anderson Mill in Austin, TX) held a raffle. Volunteers at the Tour Watch 2005 event ran my table when I couldn’t be there. Local news covered our fundraising efforts and linked to the blog and donation site.

I am also touched by the stories I have heard from survivors, caregivers, and others affected by cancer. Some stories are heartbreaking. Some are heartwarming. All of them are empowering. I hear about how people made informed decisions about their care. I hear about people who were able to die with dignity. I hear about people who would not give up. And every day, I watch and learn from my five year old son as he lives life and tells other people about leukemia and asks them to help support cancer survivors.

Thanks for reading, and please consider making a small donation to support cancer survivors and help Spencer get that Yellow Jersey when he celebrates his one year leukemia diagnosis anniversary at the Ride for the Roses October 21-23, 2005.