Today I found myself thinking of my friend and former cycling buddy Jon Lucey. He would love this trip. The sad thing is that he succumbed to brain cancer about five years ago. The last time I spoke to him, he woke me up with an early morning phone call. It was a dreadfully sad conversation as he had lost his ability to communicate sensibly, but I was honored to have received the call.

I’m not sure exactly when or why I started thinking about Jon today. Perhaps it was after our first rest stop. The day started with solid rain. We were soaked by the time we reached the first stop and unfortunately there was even a crash involving some riders (they are all okay) for which the weather was partly responsible. When I piled into the rest stop van, I knew that it was entirely permissible for me to put on my dry clothes, load up my bike and call it a day. However, every part of me said that this was not the solution I preferred. So instead, I went back into the rain and kept biking in order to stay warm rather than get too comfortable in the van. I rode as much as the day allowed and was delighted for it (We did have to load up all the bikes at one point in order to let a thunderstorm pass).

So - Why ride? It’s not an easy question to answer at times, because sometimes all answers seem to defy logic. We’re going to get across the country and we’re going to give as many lectures as we can along the way. The team is fully supportive of riders who need a break from the saddle and no one else will even know who rode which miles. The best answer I can give is that I ride because I can.

In the recent weeks - Riding has become personal. It used to be a test to see whether we could get to the finish line - but now we all know that we can complete the rides. For me, riding has become a joyful testament to my own health and a renewed resolution to live life to its fullest.

Like Jon, I have had my own battle with cancer. As a medical student I have revisited my cancer experience in emotionally challenging ways as I have encountered patients whose own experience resonates with my own. However, unlike many other survivors, I am fortunate to have achieved complete remission with minimal long-term side effects of chemo and radiation. Thankfully, thee ride has reminded me of that good fortune. It starts every morning when I hoist my bag of gear onto my shoulder and carry it to the trailer and I am reminded of the time when I could not do the same when I was battling Hodgkin’s Disease. However, the most meaningful moments are after a hard day of riding. Even though I am tired, I know that I’ll be ale to recover after a night’s rest and cycle more miles in the morning - that is special.

I’ve thought about Lance Armstrong about the trip. Have you read his book? I totally identify with his sentiment that winning the Tour de France was easier because of having had to endure cancer treatment. If I had started out as a world class cyclist, I’m sure that it would have been the same for me.

We are riding for world health and at our top priorities are watching out for each other, helping to educate the public through our lecture series and fund-raising. But world health starts with all of us individuals. There is no doubt that this ride has contributed to my health - emotional and physical.

I do miss Jon though.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 11:54 pm by seth and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.