Words

Words can hurt, words can heal.

Words can be confusing, words can be concise.

Words can divide, words can unite.

Words can enrage, words can engage.

Too often organizations and individuals underestimate the power  of their words.  Over the past month I have seen firsthand the opposing results of words.

Andrew Becker, Director of Media Relations for the American Cancer Society (ACS) posted a blog criticizing the Bald Barbie movement.  That in itself was not the tipping point of the outrage that followed, it was the words he used in that blog relating to raising awareness and his comments regarding childhood cancer.

The first several comments already had me surprised when he stated, “In a world already littered with cancer totems such as rubber bracelets and pink everything (a limited number of which are from ACS initiatives) , do we need one more thing whose function is to “raise awareness” about cancer? Is raising awareness worthwhile?”  Um, hell yes Andrew, raising awareness is worthwhile, cancer still has a stigma among many societies.

But what really caused me and thousands of other folks to raise their voices in anger was his next comment, “Childhood cancer is exceedingly rare. I would also argue that cancer is rare among the age group of women likely to have daughters young enough to play with Barbies. Women have about a one in 50 chance of developing any kind of cancer before the age of 40.”  Really?  Where in the hell does he get off saying something like this.  Did he forget who he was representing when he wrote this? Unconscionable!!  The comments that parents posted, especially those that had lost a child to cancer, were heartbreaking to read.  Becker obviously struck a nerve with his words, words that were not too carefully chosen or validated prior to posting.

What did Becker do after the uproar started?  Nothing.  ACS did post this comment at the start of his blog, “We apologize if the below post offended some of our readers. We realize that in our zeal to highlight an issue that deserves debate, we may have sounded insensitive. This post was written to provoke debate about the proliferation of products marketed to raise awareness, and we think asked legitimate questions. We believe discussions like this can help focus all our efforts more closely on our shared goal of defeating cancer.”  Needless to say, the posted apology actually created even more outrage.  There was a resounding number of posts stating that they would no longer be supporting ACS in their efforts and would send their monies elsewhere.  Since that time, ACS has pulled the blog altogether which as you might guess, just completely spun the situation out of control.

“He does not know who he messed with,” a commenter named Mindy wrote.  “An apology on their blog is not enough. We won’t stop until there is equity in funding for childhood cancer, and this man has a new job!”  Becker told ABCNews.com in an email that he prefers to let his apology statement speak for itself.

Fast forward to earlier this week and announcement that the Susan G. Komen Foundation was changing its grant process which essentially meant that future funding for Planned Parenthood breast examinations, to the tune of approximately $700K, would disappear.  The organization announced that this process change was in response to a Congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood and the appropriation of the Federal funding they receive.  This investigation was initiated by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  His political stance on woman’s health issues can be found here: http://stearns.house.gov/

Like the comment backlash that the American Cancer Society suffered, the Susan G. Komen Foundation did not think through what impact their words would have.  The most disturbing part of their situation is that it appeared as if politics were now making their way into the non-profit world.  Many people who supported this decision stated that since Planned Parenthood provides abortions they should not get funding.  As with all  opinions, there is always another side to the story.  It would serve the reader well to do some research to determine the validity of the pro and anti decision voices.

According to Planned Parenthood, only about 3 percent of all their woman’s health care services include abortions.  The statement that Federal funding is going to support abortions needs to be carefully researched.   Since 1976’s Hyde Amendment, no federal money has been able to be used to provide abortion services. The organization Rep. Cliff Stearns wants to investigate, provides more than 800,000 women a year with breast exams, more than 4 million Americans with testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, and 2.5 million people with contraception, which prevents unintended pregnancy and thus abortion.

It is about providing health services to women that would not otherwise have access, we all need to focus on the cause we are so passionate about.  I understand the passion with which many people oppose abortion, you have the right to believe what you want.  I am equally understanding of those that support a pro-choice position.  All I ask is that we engage in those conversations outside of the realm of non-profit funding.

In her statement explaining the decision to change the grant process, Ambassador Brinker stated, “We will never bow to political pressure.”  Three days later, Susan G. Komen Foundation Board Members issued the following statement:  “It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down, and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics – anyone’s politics.”  Sadly, Karen Handel, Susan G. Komen’s Vice President of Public Policy and a former GOP candidate who ran on a pro-life platform, made a fatal error of retweeting the following comment , “Just like a pro-abortion group to turn a cancer orgs decision into a political bomb to throw. Cry me a freaking river” The original tweeter was Jade Morey – she has since made her tweets private and blocked new folks from following her. Ironically, her Twitter profile includes the following statement, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” It is one thing to have an opinion and stand firm in your beliefs, it is another to express your opinion and then hide.  Again, words can have a powerful impact and we must all strive to temper our words when representing the organizations we all serve.

Words can enrage (as shown above), and words can engage……..

Last Saturday I had the honor of attending the Ulman Cancer Fund’s Blue Jeans Ball.  This is THE annual fundraiser for this amazing organization.  As with 2011, this event met and exceeded all my expectations.  It provided so many of us the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about raising cancer awareness and funding programs that provide needed medical services and advice to survivors.  There were a thousand touchpoints that evening.  Touchpoints are what I call those moments when you meet someone and something they say touches you and inspires you to engage.  Their personal stories are those touchpoints for me.

One of the most amazing survivors I have come to know and adore is Jessica “JP” Protasio.  I had heard about JP some time ago, and when I asked Brock from Ulman for someone to come out to the Mid Maryland Tri Club and talk about the personal impact that the monies raised by 24 Hours of Booty meant, he immediately recommended JP.  Let me tell you, nothing could have prepared me for the words that flowed out of this dear woman.  I was sold, I became part of her loyal fan club immediately.  Since that time I have been able to see JP touch so many people with her words.

I was thrilled to learn that she would be the “keynote” speaker at this year’s Blue Jeans Ball.  She shared her amazing story, with all its ups and downs.  Even in the darkest moments she remained positive.  She is now helping Ulman with a new grassroots fundraising initiative called the 70 Society.  You can find out more here: http://www.ulmanfund.org/Donate/70-Society.aspx

Words can inspire…JP said it best in her closing comments that night, “You don’t need to save a life to change a life”.  That is why I am so committed to helping 24 Hours of Booty, the Ulman Cancer Fund, and LIVESTRONG – in the words of Mahatma Ghandi, “You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.”  Fortunately we have JP who has clearly demonstrated what results DO come of our efforts.

To catch a glimpse of why I am such a fan, just take a moment to read one of her blog entries here: http://hocowellandwise.org/2011/09/unfinished-business/  You’ll join in the ranks I am sure.

Choose your words carefully, don’t hold back words of love and encouragement, temper desires to utter words of anger and rage, embrace all the wonderful differences of those around you.  Let’s stay focused on the fight!

Goodbye 2011 – You’ve been a Roller Coaster of a Year

As we bid adieu to 2011, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the peaks and valleys of this year.

Peak – On the one year anniversary of Michael’s death, we were invited to spend a very intimate evening listening to the letters the kids wrote to their father. It was amazing to hear that each one of them had in their own way begin to slowly “adjust” to life without him but to see how he still helped mold their decisions and actions in their lives.

Valley – Having to witness these same three young children write letters to their deceased father who ran out of time at only 45.

Peak – For 24 Hours of Booty we were able to recruit over 100 riders on our team alone! This was a huge boon to not only meet but exceed our recruitment goal.

Valley – Hurricane Irene, the beatch, rolled into town and dashed our hopes for the largest Columbia 24 Hours of Booty event to date.

Peak – Approximately 100 riders from multiple teams coming out for our quickly assembled Many Hours of Sloppy Booty to laugh at Irene and show her who was boss. Meeting Colin Anderson from New Zealand, who flew in from another 24 hour ride in France, and having him join our merry band of ne’er-do-wells. Introducing Colin to the famous New Orleans Hurricane drink, poor Kiwi did not know what hit him.

Valley – Losing our KRASED Marauders teammate, Heather Zoller-Gritz, to pancreatic cancer less than a week after the confirmed diagnosis.

Peak – Having almost 30 riders come out to the Columbia Booty Loop to celebrate Heather at the Remembrance Ride. Seeing the Sunday Hebrew School Cyclists come off of their regular route to ride an honorary loop in her memory, and most remarkably having Scott, her husband, and two daughters come out to join us for several loops.

Peak – Having Heather’s husband and girls present at the start of the Half Full Triathlon and listening to over a 1,000 people fall silent for a moment of rememberance in Heather’s memory.

Valley – My performance at the Half Full Triathlon, I totally PR’d the wrong way by over 2 hours.

Peak – Having some of the most special people in the world waiting for me as I finally crossed the finish line (see a previous post of that memorable race).

Valley – Being informed of the death of a 17 year old girl who has been battling brain cancer since she was 10 years old. She had applied for a scholarship through the Ulman Cancer Fund and many of the reviewers were touched by her story. There is no reason that someone so young should have run out of time.

Peak – Having the incredible honor to fly down to Austin and meet/ride with Lance Armstrong. Finally meeting some of my Booty Compatriots from other cities – John Manser, Kelly Wiggins, Terry Hennessee, Sandy Morgart, Amanda Allen, John Houston, and of course our fearless Head Booty Master Basil Lyberg. The weekend we shared instilled within us a bond that I see lasting a lifetime. It was these friendships and hearing the stories of all the survivors that left each of us profoundly changed for the better.

Valley – Coming home to learn that yet another KRASED Marauder teammate had been diagnosed with cancer. She has been diagnosed with breast cancer – fortunately it was caught early and is Stage I. She is thankfully responding well to treatment.

Peak – Learning that I had been selected as a LIVESTRONG Leader for 2012. This was a huge honor and I am delighted that I have been chosen to be yet an even bigger advocate in the effort to raise both awareness and funds for cancer research.

As 2011 draws to a close I look back upon each of these events and feel blessed to have met so many new folks and to have been able to honor those that have left us this year. I am ready for 2012 more energized and more focused because of the events of this year.

I wish each of you health, laughter, and an overabundance of joy in each and every day of the year.

Focusing on the Fight

Over the past several weeks I have had friends share some amazing efforts they have spearheaded to get the message of awareness out into the public realm by Focusing on the Fight.

Many of you from the Many Hours of Sloppy Booty ride (http://smu.gs/vC7xM3) will undoubtedly remember meeting our New Zealand friend, Colin “Wal” Andersen and his wife Christine.  Well, as many of us soon realized, Colin was just not a letter carrier “postie” from New Zealand as he so humbly put it.  Colin is a bit of a cycling freak (just the way we like them), he is also a cancer survivor and a warrior in this battle.

In November he took part in the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.  How hard can a Cycle Challenge be in the land of Kiwi?  Well, I will let Colin tell it in his own words!

“Taupo 8 laps 2011 – Well wind/rain/hail really took its toll & after trying out a Kidz bus shelter on the Thurs night-seat collapsed with my weight, then a large-ish mail box in the early am of Friday- trussed up like a Xmas turkey, attempting to shelter from the wind & cold-Farmer woulda got a shock if he/she’d opened the door expecting papers- just a scruffy old postie-resting. Reluctantly, settled to not ride the 8th lap with all the others & not wishing to miss prize-giving…, I attended the Enduro breakfast-Sunday am, then rode another Solo lap of the Pond to get my tally to 63 laps done, & 55 of them now from completed Enduro’s. Lap 1 5hr 50- lap 8 6hr 10. New target next year, do a double Taupo & make it 65 laps in my 65th year. Rookie error, rode too far, with too little sleep. Remember the mind Bonks Well B4 the Body. So true, had a great 90km Weds am ride with the Guys/gals of the Bike Manawatu.”  In short our friend rode an INSANE 1280km (795 miles!!!).

Colin mentioned in a follow-up email that he thought, “Irene was out chasing me again.”  He had to battle gale force winds, rain, sleet, and unseasonably cold weather.  Why would someone do something like this?  The sign he had on his jersey says it all!!

My second person Focusing on the Fight is Tania Hamod.  In 2010 she lost her Aunt and best friend “Aunt Flo” to cancer at a young age, she left behind two small girls that she adored and worshiped her.  Tania was determined that she would do what she could to channel her energy into raising awareness and funds.  In 2009 when Flo was diagnosed, Tania created an event called Music for Change that brought together her musically talented friends to play for each other and collect change at the event.

In 2010 the event became larger and was even more personal following on the heels of Aunt Flo running out of time in the battle.  My family and I were honored to be in the audience for this event and were blown away at the level of quality that the performer’s brought to the event.  As Tania and I worked together I was even more floored to hear her sing – WOW!!

Fast forward to 2011 and my constant chatting about the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults resonated with Tania.  For this year she would partner with UCF as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the event.  There were many repeat performers from 2010 including Zia Hassan who has a wonderfully fresh voice and plays as if he was born with a guitar in his hands (http://ziahassan.bandcamp.com/album/zia-hassan-presents-collision).  Also returning was Ned Darrell, and like Zia is one of the outrageously talented friends that Tania is able to collect around here, listen to his amazing range of music here: http://www.myspace.com/neddarrell.  Last but not least our own Tania lent her amazing voice to the evening’s festivities as a repeat performer – it is good to be the queen!

Although some of the following folks are repeat performers they grouped themselves into a new compilation called the Cosmic Banditos – this was their first performance but I imagine we will be hearing from them.  The Cosmic Banditos are made up of Andy Michaels, Matt Lurrie, Dave Ganjamie, and Thom Dunn – who flew in from Boston.  This evening also saw a special appearance by David Michaels whose passion for music is contagious.

This year’s new talent, I am proud to say are folks that are completely committed to the fight against cancer, whether through Team Fight, Team in Training, or 24 Hours of Booty – these performers are all committed to Focusing on the Fight.

Carole and Bill Veihmeyer and Don Klein regularly perform together and truly make beautiful music together.  Their set consisted of a wide range of musical styles that allowed each one of them to shine and express their penchant for passionate performances.  Their songs were Heart of Saturday Night, What a Wonderful World, Summertime, Compadres in the Old Sierra Madres, and Misguided Angel.  As I wrote them later, “…Carole your voice rang out beautifully (despite fighting that migraine), Bill your guitar playing is amazing, Don your super earthy approach to music is infectious, I loved that you sang John McCutcheon’s song “Christmas in the Trenches.”  Don’s song reminded us all that a common purpose can sometimes even silence guns – even if only for one evening.

Kathy Marr and Vince Vigliotti (part of the larger band called The 8-Balls www.mdparty.com/the8ballsrock) graced the second to last set of the evening and performed a number of awesome covers as well as two original tunes.

Moondance by Van Morrison

Crossroads of My Life by Kathy Marr

Closer to Free by The Bodeans

I Can’t Explain by Kathy Marr and Vince Vigliotti

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

What I Like by The Romantics

The song I Can’t Explain was exceptionally poignant as it is about a young cancer patient who ran out of time far too soon, I have posted the lyrics below:

I CAN’T EXPLAIN

I woke up the sky was blue and you know I still miss you and I can’t explain
Another day the sky was gray, I can’t believe you went away and I can’t explain
There’s a place here deep inside where your spirit is kept alive that I can explain

You’re in a better place, we’re the ones here left to face that you’re gone from this life
Hold onto the memories of when live was just a breeze
We’ll be strong ~ we’ll carry on.

You’re time here went much too fast, we tried so hard to make it last and I can’t explain
You’re no longer suffering, we should give thanks gratefully and I can’t explain
It’s all part of a greater plan and I just don’t understand and I can’t explain

You’re in a better place, we’re the ones here left to face that you’re gone from this life
Hold onto the memories of when live was just a breeze
We’ll be strong ~ we’ll carry on

Oooo, I miss you so ~ Yeah, I gotta let you go

You’re in a better place, we’re the ones here left to face that you’re gone from this life
Hold onto the memories of when live was just a breeze
We’ll be strong ~ we’ll carry on

It was an amazing evening of spectacular performers all there to share in raising awareness and funds in the battle against cancer.

Tania and Colin are Focusing on the Fight and making a difference in their unique ways but making sure that they do not let their loved ones go unrecognized – each has taken their grief and worked to make a positive impact.  For their contributions I am grateful.

Hoping that each of you can continue to focus on the fight.  To learn more about the Ulman Cancer Fund, please visit their site today: http://www.ulmanfund.org/About-Us/Mission-Vision-Values-Goals.aspx

Wishing each of you a wonderful Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza and any celebration you observe this time of year.  May you all be surrounded by boundless love and endless laughter.

Peace!

Torn

I had so many thoughts going through my head the past several weeks about what I would write about for the next blog installment that it just took longer and longer to get the words down “on paper”, until today.  This evening I am torn, over the last 48 hours I have gone from utter excitement and hope to a deep feeling of hopelessness.

Earlier today I received an email from the Cyclists Combating Cancer (CCC) listserv that I subscribe to and it froze me in my tracks.  For about 8 – 10 weeks (since coming back from Austin) I have been following the stories of several folks that post regularly on that listserv.  All are important and I take the time to read them all, but one poster in particular touched me as she ended every email with a deep thought (I know, I too drift off and think of Jack Handey from Saturday Night Live).  But no matter how tough her and her husband’s day had been, she always had a positive spin to her posts.

Today’s post told of how she and her husband were leaving the hospital and heading home, where he would pass.  I insert here just a snippet of her gentle and loving email that has me searching my own heart for how best to respond:

“It’s so hard to believe I am going to lose my best friend, my other-half for almost 40 years. He is one of the most loving, generous people I know.

I don’t know how to do this. I know that I am not alone. I know that with the help of loving family and friends, we will get through this.”

I am so touched by the intensity of her comments, you can sense her utter devotion to her husband in each and every word.  I am angry, I am sad, not for me, but for the decision they have been forced to make and how her life will forever be changed.  The outpouring of support from the CCC community to her and her husband has been inspirational.  I wish her husband as pain-free and peaceful a transition as possible, I wish her the strength to take each day one at a time.

The sadness of today’s post is countered by Monday’s events.  On Monday, my passion – 24 Hours of Booty, offered up an early discounted registration for the Columbia riders.  As many of you know, we combined two teams for 2011 into one and changed from the Middle Aged Marauders to the KRASED Marauders.  Earlier this month we were approached and formally merged with a third team and have now changed our name to Team bootySTRONG (hmm, sounds familiar doesn’t it?).  Within 24 hours of the registration opening, we had 24 riders signed up for our team.  I was elated that so many folks wanted to be part of this continued effort to raise awareness and funds in the battle against cancer.  As of tonight we are up to 28 riders on our way to the stated goal of 212 riders for the 2012 ride.

Knowing that each one of these people has their own story and that it drives them to sign up for an event like this and agree to reach out and raise their voices to help spread awareness is truly humbling.  I do not know if we will reach 212, but I do know that I will continue to be inspired by each of their stories and continue to work towards having the time to treat each and every cancer patient.

If you are inspired to be part of this event, please do take a moment and join us as we laugh and cry together with a common purpose.

As a reminder, for the next two weeks you can register for the 2012 Columbia 24 Hours of Booty for the wonderful price of just $35!  That is $30 off of the regular registration fee.  Please use the link below to register and join our team today!  When you come to the registration page, please select JOIN A TEAM, then enter Team bootySTRONG, then click on the JOIN option and voila you are well on your way to being part of our amazing group – at a reduced rate!

www.24hoursofbooty.org/columbia

The event will take place from 25 – 26 August 2012 at the Columbia Booty Loop (Gateway Business Park).  There is a $200 minimum fund-raising requirement for the Columbia Booty Ride.

Sending each and every one of you an extra thank you this evening – torn between appreciation of everyone’s support and sadness for my CCC acquaintances.

Thankful

As we all rush off preparing to be with our family/friends and then cringe at the thought of Uncle Bob’s bad jokes and Aunt Jane’s complaints, sit back and reflect on how much you would miss them if they were suddenly not around.

This Thanksgiving too many friends will be at tables that have one less place setting, one less person to laugh with, one less person to say “I Love You” to.  Perhaps they will reflect regretfully on what they would have done differently if they only knew that their loved one would be gone.

You have the power of time tomorrow to acknowledge each one of those loved ones around you and tell them how you feel about them – let them know how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate them being in your lives.

I am thankful for my patient and unconditionally loving bride Marijke, my eldest son and source of my gray hairs, Sebastian, my monkey in the middle Elisabeth, and my little comedian Nicholas.

I am thankful for my Mom who continues to teach me about compassion through her work with end-of-life cancer patients, my father who taught me what character REALLY means, my stepmother who continues to teach me about exploring the world around us, my in-laws who have proven that love can found when and where you least expect it, and my sister who is the queen of practicing random acts of kindness.

I am thankful for Lance Armstrong and his passion for creating a resource for cancer patients through LIVESTRONG, I am thankful for Doug Ulman for creating a resource for young adult cancer patients through the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, I am thankful for Spencer Leuders for creating a means for active participation in the fight against cancer through 24 Hours of Booty, and I am thankful for Basil Lyberg for believing in Spencer’s vision and running the organization.

I am thankful that I had Michael McCallum as a friend for 32 years and for sparking the flame within me to become an advocate in this battle.  I am thankful that I met Heather Zoller-Gritz in 2009 and was warmed by her friendship for almost 3 years before her death.

I am thankful for my Austin buddies John Manser, Kelly Wiggins, Terry Hennessee, Sandy Morgart and Amanda Allen.  We all shared in something so special that we will have that bond for life.

And I am thankful for each one of you!

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Livestrong Challenge – Day Three and Four

Apologies for not posting for some time, nice to know so many folks look forward to the blog updates.

After quite the party on Saturday night, all of us had to be on the busses to Dripping Springs, TX by 5:30 AM.  The morning came all too soon for me, but fortunately the adrenaline was flowing so we were ready to plod onto the bus and been driven off to the unknown roads of Dripping Springs.

Once we finally got to Dripping Springs, we were met with an enormous set-up – it was like Bootyville x100!  Of course we were shepherded off to a tent section to ourselves.  Once there we quickly found our bikes (pre-delivered and racked – seriously I need my own domestique going forward!!) under a private tent.

Once our bikes were prepped with the gear for the day – Garmin, water bottles, etc., we checked our bags with the attendants and headed off for a quick breakfast.  This morning we were all clad in our 24 Hours of Booty kits and made quite the site.   My plan had been to join the 65 mile ride as the weather appeared to be accommodating for that. Basil wanted to ride the 45 miler and Terry wanted to do the 20 miler.  Since Basil and I have NEVER ridden together it made sense to ride with my homeboy, both Wiggo and John decided this was to be the same for them.  It also removed some time pressures for me – less stress, more fun, ok!!  As with all my races/rides in the 4th Quarter,  I had both Mike and Heather’s names pinned to my jersey, and thanks to Sandy’s artistry, Basil and I had “HZG” placed on our calves.

We made our way over to the 45-miler corral and Basil just laughed and said follow me. Slowly we made our way through all the check points all the way up to the front; I had not realized that we were to wait by the starting line; this just keeps getting better and better.  We were literally lined up right next to the stage.  The event was kicked off by a moving version of the national anthem as the sun was slowly rising.  We were all getting jazzed by all the teams that were assembling.  Right behind us were the boys from Movember in their awesome kits.

Nike presented Lance with a check for $839K bringing their total contribution amount to over $10M since 2009.  Lance then took over the microphone and spoke to the assembled masses.  He thanked all the riders but also all the volunteers that make RFTR possible.  He let everyone know that these were the roads that he used to train on all of these roads we were about to ride on.

As we pulled off it was amazingly cold, I was not prepared for that chill, had I been, I would have been sporting my Team Fight arm warmers to compliment the 24 Hours of Booty kit!  No worries as the weather soon began changing and got warmer with each mile.  For the first time in my life I had to contend with a new road hazard, as in Columbia we do not have too many bovine species walking the roads……

It was amazing to see how many water bottles were strewn along the side of the roads.  I don’t know about you, but I have an attachment to all of my bottles – probably why we could do an entire dishwasher load of nothing but bike bottles!  We started getting quite good ta jumping these guards, one does have to be sure that the rear tire clears the last metal grate because you can get quite the fishtail if not, I’m just saying……

We passed on the first two rest stops and then pulled into the next one for some refueling.  What a friendly group of folks inhabit these here parts!  This rest stop was set-up like an old western town with a blacksmith’s shop to boot!  Both Basil and I wanted to capture the fact we had made it this far!

At the 65/45 mile split we bid farewell to the long haul riders.  Taking the shorter route was definitely the wiser choice as the weather had gone from the low 50′s into the 90′s and was getter warmer.  All those folks that talk about a dry heat versus a humid heat have no clue, hot is hot!  For quite some time we were on some bigger roads that actually played to our advantage so we could run a pace line to beat off the heat – John was so gracious and pulled us for the better part of 5 – 6 miles – such a trooper that guy is!!

After some time we came upon the next rest stop.  Here Lance finally caught up to us, bot for everyone saying how fast he is it took him a good 15 – 20 minutes to come through there after our arrival.  As he and his peloton came screaming past us, John had us all in stitches as he yelled out, “Hey, wait for me!”  Perhaps it was the heat, but we found ourselves laughing a hell of a lot on this ride.  As we were refueling we had to laugh as someone rode up with this t-shirt which I thought was brilliant!

Get it??? Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is Dead!! Brilliant.

One of Basil’s friends CJ Walsh joined us as we rode out of the rest stop.  After some time CJ announced he was hungry and reached into his bike basket and pulled out a full sandwich to which I almost fell off of my bike as I was laughing so hard.  It was totally ridiculous what all he had with him in that basket.  I am expecting to see it wired with speakers next time as we had a lengthy discussion on how to make that happen.

After all this frivolity we eventually made our way toward the finish line and our fearless leader Basil was ushered to the front where we all crossed as a group to the cat calls of “Booty, Booty, Booty, Booty…”  It was a helluva ride with some truly amazing folks that I now call friends.

We made our way back to the tent handed off our bikes for packing, thanks again to the amazing bike crew that took such great care of us.  My friend Terry had an amazing conversation with Doug Ulman that I think helped work through some barriers in his cancer experience and has served to make him an even greater warrior in this battle.  We had a wonderful discussion on the bus ride back to the hotel.  Being part of something like this event is so much bigger than any one of us and I firmly believe it only gets absorbed a little at a time in order for your brain to wrap itself around it all.

Once back at the hotel we all packed and prepared for our final dinner together.  We went to ZTejas which was where Lance, College and others came up with the idea for LIVESTRONG – it was very cool to be there.  We bumped into Greg Lee, CFO of LIVESTRONG and asked him to join us but he had a whole group of folks joining him for dinner.  We did get an invite to head up to Six for a private party.  After dinner we all headed over there, but this old man was exhausted and Terry and I headed back to the hotel to grab some Zzzzzzzzs before our morning flights.

Monday morning arrived and it was time to head out.  Doug and all his staff were in the hotel lobby to thank everyone one more time as they boarded the hourly shuttles heading to the airport.  It was bittersweet, I certainly did not want the experience to end, but I also wanted to get home and share my experience with my family and friends.  At the airport, each time LIVESTRONG Challenge participants saw each other, we would share a knowing nod – we were all different after this weekend.

I left Austin a changed person.  My committment has only increased 10 fold to do what I can to make a difference everyday in this battle against cancer.  There are so many people to thank, but first and foremost I have to thank my wife Marijke, without her support and patience I would not be able to be out of the house training and attending meetings to plan all of the events I participate in – she gets it!  My kids Sebastian, Elisabeth, and Nicholas.  They are so cool about Dad running off all the time, they are now of the age that they actively participate – they get it!  My mother who inspired me to form a team for 24 Hours of Booty in the first place, she is one helluva cancer fighter and has sparked within me the passion to serve – she gets it!  And last but not least, Basil Lyberg, your leadership and passion is infectious, thank you for this amazing opportunity – you so totally get it and share it!!

As a reminder, you can find all the pictures from the LIVESTRONG Challenge Weekend here: http://mcmillan.smugmug.com/Sports/LIVESTRONG-Challenge-RFTR-2011/19620135_9rKBLn

Livestrong Challenge – Day Two

Saturday 15 October 2011

So today was to be the day.  As many of you know I had a less than spectacular half ironman “run” earlier in the month and basically had to hobble for 13.1 miles after a less than thrilling bike ride and synchronized swim flailing.  The pain from the last race had subsided and I really wanted to see if I could plod my way through a 5K.

Over 2,500 people showed up to take part in this event which started and ended on the South 1st Street Bridge over the Lady Bird Lake Trail (lake??? It looked more like a river to me).  So I had to look up on Google maps to get the name of the bridge and to my horror I discovered that I was so close to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Statue and never made it over there – I am ashamed that I did not know it was there!  Why didn’t anyone tell me, blast.  Well, I now have TWO reasons to come back to Austin, TX.  Photographer John R. Rogers took the following beautiful photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue, on the banks of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas.

I was sporting my Half Full Triathlon gear in an attempt to ward off the spirits and redeem myself.  Please take a moment to watch this amazing video recap of 2010 to get a sense of how different this triathlon is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_0uPy7ywRY

Amanda, Sandy, Wiggo, Me, and Terry

As we began walking up the ramp to the start line, I was taken aback by all the pedicabs lined up with young kids in them.  The vision stuck in my head is of several bald kids with scars on their heads looking so excited to be there and be part of this race.  Sometimes we need more than a little reminder to have our heads kicked back into alignment.

One of the most enthusiastic groups were Team 1 Nut (great logo shirts btw).  Their main “vocalist” was a young lady of about 7 years of age with pom poms that chanted “One nut” the entire time I saw her.  There were an amazing number of survivors taking part in this event.  Almost
without fail, everyone had a placard that was In Honor Of or In Memory Of pinned to their shirts, hats, strollers, and canes!

At some point someone came up to me and said hello, they had seen the Half Full hat and they were from Maryland and he was a cancer survivor.  He also told me that he was now a cancer mentor with UCF but I have completely forgotten his name, was a little out of left field to have someone walk up to in Austin from Maryland.  He made a comment about Mike and Heather.  In all my excitement I forgot that I had pinned the memory placard on there for the run.  Michael has been racing with me since March of 2010 and Heather since September of this year.

John only had brought sandals and boots so he became our official photographer for the event (he was somewhat ridiculed when we saw one young lady cross the finish line in a full on sprint wearing cowboy boots).  Sandy, Amanda, Wiggo and Terry were the official pacers for the walkers and took their task very seriously.  Basil ran too but got stuck in massive start crowd so I was on my own.  There were so many folks there that it took a good minute or two to even get to the start line, I finally got to the start line and started my Garmin.  It was a good bit of dodge and weave before I could finally get rolling.

I felt great running and realized that Austin ain’t exactly flat, there were a number of climbs as soon as we turned the corner.  Along the run I saw this svelte looking guy pushing a yellow stroller and talking on the phone, this was my chance to finally beat Doug Ulman in a race – I am delighted to report that he was so shocked by my blazing speed that he did not even attempt to catch me.

As I ran I cheered on everyone I could that was running In Memory Of a loved one.  Needless to say this was a very emotional run on many levels, at one point I was running and crying, not an easy task. I was not the only one impacted on this run.  Made the finish line in less than 30 minutes
and was ecstatic that I was pain-free!  I walked down to the climb to the finish line and cheered on all the kids and adults making their way to the finish.  I was soon joined by Basil and we cheered in all of our Booty crew and the many survivors making their way to the finish.

We made our way back to the hotel and changed into our cycling gear.  We were all there to represent our Booty teams so I proudly wore my KRASED Marauders jersey and snuck in my MMTC cycling shorts.  We boarded the bus and headed off to yet another secret location – this time we made our way to The Driveway Races.  A private race track where the Secret Service and other agencies go to practice defensive driving skills.  Oh, crap does this mean I have to pull a pit maneuver on Lance?  We were all quite excited on the bus on our way out there.

We all came off the bus like excited little school kids.  We quickly spotted Lance as he circled around the track with one of his riding buddies “College”.  We then gathered for a “team” photo, it was very surreal to see one of my idols up close and personal two days in a row!!

Thankfully Scott Joy posted this picture so I had proof that I was there too.  I was so busy capturing everyone else that I forgot about me. I am two rows back with the white hat and sunglasses propped on them.

We then saddled up and began riding the 2+ mile loop as a massive peloton, it was a ton of fun riding as a group and then realizing we could work our way to the front and get to ride with Lance sooner.  I got a small taste of what it felt like to muscle my way up to the front of the line. I am usually quite congenial but darn it, I wanted some alone time with my new BFF Lance.

Wiggo and John went up together and talked to him about their Team Pirate Treasure adventures and told him that they wanted to present
him with a team jersey.  He was quite pleased and told them to come up to him after the ride.  It was finally my turn to move up and I began by thanking him for all his efforts and he was very gracious and wanted to thank me instead.  We spoke briefly about his book It’s Not About The Bike: My Journey Back to Life.  I then said I understand you speak some Dutch. He immediately began speaking Dutch and we carried on for a large portion of the ride and then it was over for me, as I peeled off for the other rider to come up, he turned over to me and shared some of his more colorful Dutch words and we both had a great laugh.

Liz Kreutz’s pictures of Lance trying to get close to me are AWESOME. Click image for larger size

Once I peeled off, Ben Hermans of Team Radio Shack came up to me and started speaking Dutch with me and we rode together for a while talking about Belgium – where Marijke as born – and riding in the States and Lance’s Dutch vocabulary.  Another very surreal experience.  He then caught a glance of Wiggo and boom, the blonde woman was obviously more interesting than this old man.

I later met John “College” Korioth, Lance’s training buddy.  We talked about Booty as he will be the special guest at the Columbia Hurricane Party on 29 October.  Amazingly cool and down to earth guy.  It was a surreal experience and it was phenomenal to see all of the riders from Team Radio Shack that came out being SO in touch with all 40 of us and taking the time to just ride.

After the ride we shuttled John Manser back up to Lance where he and Wiggo presented Lance with his official Team Pirate jersey.  A perfect way to cap off a perfect day of riding with Lance.  Just saying that makes me smile.

After the ride we were all shuttled back onto the bus for a private lunch at LIVESTRONG HQ.  Once we arrived we were again greeted by CFO Green Lee and the rest of their team.  It was a really wonderful intimate event, I really love being at that place!

After lunch we quickly hopped the shuttle back to the hotel and then hopped on the shuttle to Mellow Johnny’s – Mecca for some of us.  While we were there we just happened to stumble across Levi, Chris and Ben again.  I swear they are stalking us!!

After making sure all my kids and darling bride were taken care of I searched for items that I knew I needed, but sadly found nothing I could justify to the bookkeeper back home   She does however have a wonderfully fitting Mellow Johnny’s jersey now!

During my visit to Mecca, I met Eileen Schaubert who  is Mellow Johnny’s conduit to the community as it relates to cycling. We had a great talk about 24 Hours of Booty and how we wanted to kick it up a notch in Columbia, MD.  She was really passionate about it and I really need to get a dialogue going with her soon!

After our visit we hopped back on the shuttle to the hotel with our wonderful Australian guide!  Man, this city is so amazingly cool!!  We all headed to our rooms to rest and get ready for the evening’s festivities.  I called home and shared all the amazing stories from the afternoon to a very excited and supportive family – man, am I ever blessed with that group!!

Since it would be some time before we had dinner, we met in the bar and downed some food before the reception, and Sandy felt we needed to sample some of the local libations.  She ordered up a round of Lemon Drop Shooters made with:

Man did that ever taste good!  How about another round?  Oh, ok sure why not?  I believe we only had two rounds and then boarded the bus for the dinner at LIVESTRONG HQ. All the bootiers were able to secure two tables so we could toast our amazing day and celebrate our good works.  The team was recognized with The Top 2011 Fundraising Award.  We were a happy and proud bunch!

The evening proved to be one of the most emotional and transformational nights that I can remember.  There were a lot of presentations and speeches that night but there were two pivotal moments for the majority of us sitting together.  The first came when Lance came out and began by recognizing Steve Jobs and his recent death.  It was then that he stated that Steve Jobs did not lose his battle, he ran out of time.  I know some hateful people have posted this statement and made light of it, but let me assure you that when Lance said these words it was as if a veil was lifted off of all of our eyes and we all instantly could see our new mantra.

The second powerful moment was when a video called Manifesto was played, the video can be found here: http://youtu.be/1HVxZnz20PM  When the video was done playing, you could have heard a pin drop.  There was a long and poignant silence, it was at that point that I realized I came to Austin not to meet and ride with Lance, there was something bigger than that in store for me.  John Manser calls it the Sledgehammer – because when it hits you there is NO mistaking it for anything other than a full frontal assault on your emotions.

As a reminder, you can find all the pictures from the LIVESTRONG Challenge Weekend here: http://mcmillan.smugmug.com/Sports/LIVESTRONG-Challenge-RFTR-2011/19620135_9rKBLn

Be sure to watch for more stories from this amazing life changing journey.

Livestrong Challenge – Day One

The Trip of a Lifetime

Five weeks ago when I received the call that I had been selected to come down to Austin, TX to meet and ride with Lance Armstrong will
be a day that I will not soon forget.  At the time the excitement I felt would come nothing close to what I felt on my flight home to Columbia.

Arrangements were quickly made for me to fly down on 14 October to Austin, TX.  All the arrangements were made for me and I soon received a 5 page information sheet and schedule.  Literally every last detail was taken care of for us.  I found it quite odd that many of the activities all had “Secret Location” listed in them.  Hmm, let the rumor mill begin amongst the attendees!

Friday 14 October 2011

My work week was insanely busy so I had very little time to reflect on the pending event.  I had my bike packed by Race Pace earlier in the week so it sat all ready to go.

My bags were packed several days earlier (ok, maybe I was a tad bit excited).  Friday’s flight was uneventful but my colleagues got a kick out of a piece I wrote called “Life on the Other Side of the Curtain”.  As I travel quite a bit for my work I have racked up a few miles and spend my travel time in Business Class.  As I was not on my usual airline, I spent 4 flights on the other side of the curtain.  My colleagues call me princess when I travel, so you can just imagine….

When I landed in Dallas, I began to see more and more folks wearing the yellow LIVESTRONG bands and tons of yellow shirts and LIVESTRONG gear.  Once on the plane the vast majority of folks were coming in for the LIVESTRONG Challenge Weekend.  Now I am getting a little excited.  I received a message from John Manser and Kelly Wiggins (Wiggo) that they would be coming in from Atlanta, GA shortly after I came in.  John Manser is the captain of Team Pirate Treasure and has been the issuer of and recipient of many a smart ass quip during our recruiting efforts for 24HOB.  We had never met, so I was really looking forward to this.

As soon as I got to Austin, I came down to baggage claim and saw all the awesome decorated guitars (much like our decorated crabs around
Baltimore).  Saw one painted for LIVESTRONG and got really psyched.

Once my suitcase and bike box arrived – after what seemed like an eternity – we made our way to the LIVESTRONG check-in area.  My bike was immediately whisked away and we waited for others to arrive to board the bus.  Met two guys that run a 6 hour cycling event in New Orleans called Tour de Lis that also raises money to benefit LIVESTRONG, slowly more and more folks arrived and we all began sharing our own “connection” stories.

Finally John and Wiggo arrive and it is was as if we have known each other for a lifetime, the smart ass comments start flying and we already know this weekend is going to be something special.  As soon as we get to the hotel we are treated like royalty, it is good to be the king.  We register for the weekend’s activities and everyone you meet from LIVESTRONG stops to thank you for all your efforts in the battle against cancer.  You can tell they are really sincere and are so happy to have you there.  After registration I make my way over to the Bike Room where all the “jersey” riders’ bikes are stored.  There a team of SRAM volunteers led by the amazingly wonderful Fred Huang that unpack ALL the bikes and rebuild them, perform light maintenance, and prepare them for Saturday’s private ride.

During this time I meet another 24HOB captain, Terry Hennessee, from Team Carpe Diem in Charlotte.  This trip had very meaningful timing for Terry as Thursday was the anniversary of his mother’s death from cancer several years back, and his own “cancer free” anniversary is this same week.  Powerful and very emotional.

In the afternoon we were all whisked onto a bus to take us down to LIVESTRONG Headquarters for a tour.  It is an architecturally beautiful building with lots of thought given to its footprint and work comfort.  I had the pleasure of being shown around by LIVESTRONG CFO Greg
Lee.  His passion for the physical space and the work being done there was electrifying.

Lance’s 7 TDF jerseys are all hanging on one of the walls, the corporate credo was displayed in such a way that every employee could see it and be reminded of why they are there and how important their work is.  All of the art pieces in the building are poignant and have deep meanings to the staff there.

One of the most emotional points for me was the Honor/Memory wall.  They had taken the race placards we are all familiar with and made them into tiles, some of the artwork and comments reduced us to tears. Far too many “In Memory of” tiles.

We eventually made our way outside to see Mr. Cartoon complete the LIVESTRONG mural at the back of their HQ building.  The mural was so freshly painted that you could still smell the spray paint!  Below is Mr. Cartoon putting the finishing touches on the mural and then signing my Ride for the Roses poster (which he also designed).

After an amazing afternoon in Austin many of us could not imagine how much cooler the weekend would become.  We all took the bus back to the hotel and changed in preparation for dinner at the secret location.  By now the Booty crew had become dear friends – amazing how fighting for a single cause can create such a strong bond (hmm, maybe that is where the name bootySTRONG came from…..).  We boarded the bus with our much-loved lanyards (our “tickets” into these special events) and headed over to the still secret location.  Despite much speculation we were told flat-out that we were NOT going to Lance Armstrong’s house.  For the rest of the ride along the Highway to Dell we frantically discussed where we could be going.  We soon arrived in a not-so-shabby neighborhood and our handler told us that we are indeed going to Lance’s house!!!

We were just hanging out at Lance’s house with the likes of Chris Horner, Mr. Shimano (yes, THAT Mr. Shimano), Ben King, and Jason McCartney to name but a few of our new BFFs.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by one of Lance’s favorite bands from Nice, France – the Gypsy Queens.  They were an amazingly wonderful group of entertainers and had everyone in stitches and all the women swooning.

Our MC for the evening was Ethan Suplee, I was woefully ignorant of his professional resume and had to be constantly reminded of what he starred in.  I was more amazed at the fact that he had lost about 100 pounds just from cycling.  Lance soon came out and was  joined by his son Max, his newest child Olivia, and his girlfriend Anna.  Max was quite proud of his father and was sharing his own commentary during the award ceremony later in the evening.  It was eventually time to take the vase, persian rugs, and silverware we had pocketed from his house back to the hotel and call it a night.

What an amazing way to start the 2011 LIVESTRONG Challenge Weekend in Austin, TX!

Pictures from the entire weekend can be found here: http://mcmillan.smugmug.com/Sports/LIVESTRONG-Challenge-RFTR-2011/19620135_9rKBLn I would recommend NOT viewing in slide show as you miss all the captions I so painstakingly wrote

Watch for more posts from the weekend……..

We interrrupt this blog for a Booty minute

I realize I was in the middle of sharing my Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge but yesterday evening we held the Columbia 24 Hours of Booty Hurricane Party.  Now some of you may recall that in 2008 we were shut down because of Hurricane Hugo, in 2009 we had over 16 hours of rain, in 2010 gorgeous weather, and this year we were sadly canceled due to Hurricane Irene.  Not to be deterred, we wanted to be sure that all of the 400+ riders were acknowledged for their amazing efforts.

As Columbia is “weather challenged” we of course had to brave a freak October snow storm that had everyone racing for bread, milk, and toilet paper.  The rest of us sane people however, were thumbing our noses at Snowtober and laughed at it head on by wearing shorts and bike jerseys.

When the McMillan boys arrived we were met with chilly winds and slippery surfaces – ugh.  All this was soon a distant memory as we walked into the Spear Center at the Howard Hughes Building and were met with the smiling faces of Neil and Kristen Coffee.

It soon became a homecoming of sort as we ran into old friends and made some new ones too.  In some cases I was meeting KRASED Marauders members for the first time.  We had managed to corral 108 riders this year so there were one or two folks I did not know (yet).  Many thanks to Three Brothers Italian Restaurant for their amazing support.  Also huge thanks to I.M. Wine of Maplelawn and the Wine Bin of Ellicott City for their generous liquid support of the event.

The program began with 24 Hours of Booty Executive Basil Lyberg dragging poor Board Member Sandy Morgart on stage to be “Oprah” for the evening.  You can even see his evil smile as he walks off stage.  Of course Sandy was a terrific MC for the evening.

Other speakers for the evening included Brock Yesto, Executive Director of the Ulman Cancer Fund who spoke of the amazing good works that UCF does because of affinity partners like 24 Hours of Booty.  Although I could never eloquently detail all of Brock’s comments here, this poster certainly provides some of the amazing highlights.

As many of you know, we lost one of our teammates, Heather Zoller-Gritz, this year to pancreatic cancer.  Her husband Scott and her daughters Abby and Ellie were invited as our special guests.  Heather was honored at the event and all three were presented with limited edition 24 Hours of Booty charms.  It was a moving moment for all of us.

Soon Lance’s friend and training partner, John “College” Korioth came up and shared his stories of Lance’s diagnosis and treatment, their anger over the lack of answers from other cancer “support” groups at the time and their eventual creation of LIVESTRONG.  He also shared several humorous recollections of Lance and his long-standing friendship.  We were honored to have him join us for this very special evening.

24 Hours of Booty founder, Spencer Leuders also joined in the festivities and shared his inspiration for the idea of 24 Hours of Booty and announced that 24HoB will be adding a 4th city in 2012!

It was now time to recognize the top fundraisers and the top teams.  Major congratulations go out to our own Stephen Powell for raising over $7,000!!

It was because of members like Steve and the rest of the KRASED Marauders that made us the number one team for 2011!!  We raised just under $50,000 for the fight against cancer!  I know I speak for Rhonda when I say there is no way we could have done it without all of you.  Many thanks to Jeff Houston for capturing this shot!!

Thanks to the best group of friends I have had the pleasure of getting to know.  We are now positioned to hit 2012 full force and give cancer a major @ss whopping, I have thrown it down and stated that we will get 200 riders so I need each of you to recommit to the battle and bring along one friend.  Dana Shapiro has already recruited her one new person.  Who is next?????

You can view all the pictures from the event here: http://mcmillan.smugmug.com/Sports/24-Hours-of-Booty-Hurricane/19814036_CS2rxb

Three Stages of Cancer Engagement – A Volunteer’s Perspective

It has been my personal experience that supporters/volunteers in the cancer community move through three stages in their level of engagement: Awareness –> Active Participation –>Advocacy.

Each one of us has a catalyst that starts this progressive engagement.  Below I share my “Tipping Points” that moved me through each stage.  I provide this as a background so that when reading my recollections of the LIVESTRONG Challenge Weekend you get a better sense of the immense emotion wrapped in each of the stories and the importance for me to accurately share with you the energy I felt and gained from the thousands of folks there.

Awareness

This trip actually began in the early 1980s when my mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer (she would see a recurrence two more times after this but has been cancer free for over 5 years since).  My grandfather passed away from lung cancer on 12 March 1991 which was the result of many years of smoking, a fate that fell upon many of his generation. Little did I know that these events were already forming my resolve to do something.

Active Participation

Fast forward to 2008 when Moe Emery and I formed the Middle Aged Marauders.  The team was named for my mother who I call MAM.  Throughout the years, my involvement with 24 Hours of Booty along with the team size increased.  In 2011, our team took a giant leap forward with Rhonda Workman and the Fitness KRASED team joining ours to form the KRASED Marauders.  This year
we raised over $50,000.00 with 108 riders!

Advocacy

In 2009 I was asked to become an Ambassador for 24 Hours of Booty.  This was a grassroots effort to help spread the message of this great event and engage folks in the battle.  In November of 2009 I received a call shortly before Thanksgiving that my best friend of 32 years, Michael McCallum, had been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  For the next 4 months I would spend as much time with him as possible as we discussed his fate and that of his wife and kids.  He passed away after a hard fought battle on 14 March 2010.  I resolved to raise the bar for my cancer efforts.

In 2010 my 24HOB efforts became more formalized through the Booty Organizing Committee and added several folks as Ambassadors to reach beyond Howard County.

In January 2011 I had the honor of joining the board of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF) and becoming a member of Team
Fight.  I accepted this honor with an expressed concern that it not cannibalize my efforts with 24HOB.  Happily these two organizations are so wonderfully intertwined that my efforts have actually benefitted both organizations.  As many of you know, UCF, aside from LIVESTRONG, is the major beneficiary of the monies raised by the Columbia 24HOB riders.

In the next several blogs I will recount each day of my journey to greater advocacy.