Maybe friends and readers know me too well, because so far only one was willing to risk going broke with a pledge by kilometer. But Dena's pledge has truly inspired me to get on the bike every day so far. Admittedly I have taken some recovery days, only riding to the coffee shop, but I've still gotten out every day, and I'm accumulating some kilometers as well as some meters of climbing (since Dena added that as a bonus challenge).
I want to thank everyone who has already made a contribution, and ask those of you who haven't yet, please consider BCRF for your 2015 charitable tax credit.
And if you want to help encourage me to keep plugging away on the bike so I'm fit and strong for surgery, please join Dena by commenting below and pledge a few pennies per km.
Below you'll see the progress I've made so far. I'm proud that I have rode my bike to chemo every time (after the first treatment when the docs said I no until we knew how I'd react - I did fine, so on the bike is was). I've also ridden my bike to get my blood work, to see doctors and to see my physical therapist. I ride to get coffee and groceries and all those new-house errands. Maybe I'm in denial, but I refuse to sit around and feel sick. Sure I'm tired. My rides are definitely taking more energy than when I was healthy. I'm logging about half the usual distance. But I'm also climbing and descending lots of dirt roads, so the routes are genuinely harder. I'm really trying to take advantage of this time to re-sculpt my muscles so I can come back even stronger. Chemo may not be the elixir used on Captain America, but I'm pretending that the every three week infusions of Herceptin are ;-)
I must admit that it's not just the contributions that are inspiring me. I do have some pretty amazing scenery around here.
date
|
kms ridden
|
meters climbed
|
ride
| |
Thursday, July 23, 2015
|
39.1
|
367
|
to chemo and dinner with Henry
| |
Friday, July 24, 2015
|
2.5
|
35
|
breakfast and dentist
| |
Saturday, July 25, 2015
|
108.4
|
1833
| ||
Sunday, July 26, 2015
|
85.6
|
766
| ||
Monday, July 27, 2015
|
26.9
|
180
|
Coffee and Wagon Wheel
| |
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
|
9.1
|
87
|
Ice cream
| |
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
|
12.8
|
77
|
Coffee and doc
| |
Thursday, July 30, 2015
|
62.6
|
776
| ||
Friday, July 31, 2015
|
56.2
|
775
| ||
Saturday, August 1, 2015
|
85.2
|
808
| ||
Sunday, August 2, 2015
|
112.8
|
2049
| ||
Monday, August 3, 2015
|
64.4
|
699
| ||
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
|
81.3
|
1004
| ||
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
|
48.6
|
779
| ||
Thursday, August 6, 2015
|
62.3
|
975
| ||
Friday, August 7, 2015
|
34.2
|
532
| ||
Saturday, August 8, 2015
|
91.3
|
1571
| ||
Sunday, August 9, 2015
|
114.3
|
1567
| ||
Monday, August 10, 2015
|
6.7
|
67
|
Coffee - rest day
| |
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
|
23.3
|
225
| ||
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
|
37.6
|
207
|
Errands and doc
| |
Thursday, August 13, 2015
|
45.7
|
320
|
Doc and errands
| |
Friday, August 14, 2015
|
23.8
|
122
|
Doc and coffee
| |
Saturday, August 15, 2015
|
95.4
|
1460
| ||
Sunday, August 16, 2015
|
123.4
|
1137
| ||
Monday, August 17, 2015
|
59.7
|
532
| ||
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
|
54.8
|
933
| ||
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
|
65.1
|
999
| ||
Thursday, August 20, 2015
|
40.5
|
676
| ||
Friday, August 21, 2015
| ||||
Saturday, August 22, 2015
| ||||
Sunday, August 23, 2015
| ||||
Monday, August 24, 2015
| ||||
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
| ||||
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
| ||||
Thursday, August 27, 2015
| ||||
Friday, August 28, 2015
| ||||
Saturday, August 29, 2015
| ||||
Sunday, August 30, 2015
| ||||
Monday, August 31, 2015
| ||||
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
| ||||
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
| ||||
Thursday, September 3, 2015
| ||||
Friday, September 4, 2015
| ||||
Saturday, September 5, 2015
| ||||
Sunday, September 6, 2015
| ||||
Monday, September 7, 2015
| ||||
1673.6
|
21558
| |||
kms ridden
|
meters climbed
|
I have mentioned the Breast Cancer Research Foundation several times on the blog. These are the folks who actually fund real breast cancer research and cures, and these are the folks I am asking you to support in my name. You can donate a fixed amount or pledge per kilometer for every km I ride from my last chemo on July 23 to surgery on September 8. I will match the donations up to $5,000. Leave a comment here if you are donating based on distance. Otherwise, you can just go directly to Breast Cancer Research Foundation to make a donation now.
You can track my distance daily on strava - look at the bottom of the blog (web version). I will ride more because my readers will be donating more. So please help me as I say Yay! Science and say thanks for funding my cure. Please donate to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
For those skeptical about all the different charities and where the money goes, check out Charity Navigator. BCRF has one of the highest ratings there.
Thanks for doing the research to find a charity that actually focuses its efforts on research! There are so many that don't, or that do but spend an unconscionable amount on fundraising, as I discovered when I was looking for cancer research charities to recommend for memorial gifts for my father.
ReplyDeleteI'll chip in by km and meter: 10 cents per km of distance and 1 cent per meter climbed. (Yes, I have done the math based on current stats! Breast cancer is an issue that has touched my family closely.) Just send me an email when you're done with the total and a link for the donation. Maybe we'll cross paths at D2R2 tomorrow; I'll be on my Boulder All Road, baby blue with red tires and hammered fenders, and arriving at the lunch stop around 1 pm. If not, if you want to meet up early in September, we could touch base at the Group W bench outside the Montague Book Mill; just let me know when.
Pamela! You have always inspired me as a bike rider (and even more so as half of an awesome team), now even more so in recovery mode from broken back and cancer. There's just not a lot else to say. I know how my radiation and surgery effected me after my diagnosis, and I was NOT out on my bike daily as you are. So, you are still inspiring me and now I want to push you onward. So sign me up for $0.05 per kilometer, and then ride girl, ride.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on you, as you have blessed so many,
Paul
Pamela, I saw you in the tent after the D2R2 ride but was too shy to say hi. You have inspired me, both as a novice rider (I did the 40 mile Green River route) and as someone who went through chemo 7 years ago. I well recall pushing through the fatigue, determined to live my life as normally as possible. You are awesome! I also appreciate the recommendation of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and am glad to support one that is reputable.
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