Amazing Obliteride!

 

Hi friends, I can't believe it's been almost seven weeks since Obliteride. Many people have been asking me how Obliteride was. In a word: AMAZING.

As I think about my friend Scott (pictured above second from left), who is in Houston at MD Anderson Cancer Center today for scans and a meeting with his oncologist tomorrow, I'm reminded of the HOPE I felt during Obliteride weekend. Hope that Scott will be cured. Hope that the news this week will be good. Hope that there is a new treatment that will increase Scott's chances at beating cancer. Scott wrote me a couple of days ago saying "Good news will come in the form of us feeling good about the next type of treatment." It brought me right back to why I feel so strongly about the work I do with Fred Hutch and Obliteride and why funding for research is so important.

Hope. Celebration. Energizing. Community. Connection. Commitment. Accomplishment. Fun. Smiles.

These are the words that sum up the inaugural Obliteride weekend for me. There were so many magical moments during Obliteride. Here I share some of my favorites.

Celebration.

 

Michael Franti & Spearhead kicked off the weekend with an amazing concert at Gas Works Park. And what a celebration it was. It was one of the most energetic and fun concerts I've ever seen. If you haven't experienced Michael Franti live, I highly recommend it. He's AMAZING! (Or check him out on YouTube for a quick pick-me-up.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community.

This tribute wall sums it up. Everyone is touched by cancer. And everyone who did Obliteride had a real reason for riding. A mother. A friend. A grandmother. An uncle. A child. Too many reasons.... Every time I look at this, I get a bit choked up.
 

Seeing all of the riders lined up at the start line on Saturday morning was very touching too. The energy and excitement were palpable. Everyone was there with the same goal: to end cancer.

 

Connection.

At Obliteride, everyone was connected. Connected through cancer. Scott's wife, Heather, and I wear our matching green rings in solidarity in the fight against cancer. (More on our special rings in a later post.) They are constant reminders of hope and positive energy, and a connection we share.

 

 

Good friends from different parts of our life participated in Obliteride and it was so wonderful to connect with them over the weekend. Below is my husband, Geoff, with our dear friends Joel and Liz (a cancer survivor) at the finish line.

 

Commitment.

I am so proud of Geoff for committing to Obliteride and raising a ton of money in honor of several friends and family members who have battled cancer. He doesn't like to ask for help, especially in the form of money. But he overcame this because he believes so strongly in the cause. Geoff's company's team (pictured below) was the largest team for Obliteride this year with 90+ people raising more than $115,000. That's commitment!

 

 

Smiles.

 

There were miles and miles of smiles during Obliteride. Literally from start to finish, the smiles were contagious. Riders and their supporters alike couldn't stop smiling. I think it was because people felt good about doing something so positive to fight cancer. Here's a picture of Sofia with Scott and Heather's son, Chance. I smile every time I look at it!

 

 

 

Research = Hope.

Scott is holding out hope for new treatments to save his life. I'm holding out hope that research is happening fast enough to keep up with Scott's cancer progression. There are amazing discoveries being made in research labs every day, but more funding is needed.

I'm still raising money until next Tuesday, October 1, for Obliteride to help Fred Hutch accelerate lifesaving research. 100% of every dollar you give goes directly to research.

If you'd like to give, please consider joining me and donating online through my personal fundraising page. Thank you so much! And thank you to everyone who has already donated and supported me on this journey! 

Together we can obliterate cancer!

P.S. Mark your calendar now for next year's Obliteride: August 10, 2014. What do you think, are you in?!