Pedal the Cause

Moments. Memories. Time.

I was recently asked who it is I ride for in Pedal the Cause. I froze with that question…Oh how I wish the list was much, much shorter.

Family, friends, neighbors, classmates, coworkers. So many people whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Yet, there’s one thing that stays a constant…simply wanting more time.

When I was pregnant with the boys, my Grandpa was facing cancer yet again. Every 3 Mondays, I’d go spend the afternoon with him while he got chemo. We’d catch up, say some prayers, tell stories, and always get in at least a laugh or two.

And every time, my biggest prayer was for more time.

More bike rides. More card games. More Cardinals games. More memories. And enough time for him to meet two more of his great-grandchildren.

He did.

He met Zeke and Calvin. He got to watch them grow, make them laugh, and love them for a few precious years.

And now, those same little boys he once held are old enough to understand why we ride. This year is their third year riding in the Kids Challenge at Pedal the Cause.

There is something incredibly special about that full-circle moment.

My Grandpa loved Pedal. For years, he proudly rode as one of the oldest cancer survivors, and he never quit…not even on the hardest hills. I had the privilege of riding alongside him, watching that shiny red helmet ahead of me as he made his way up another hill.

I still picture him there.

But now, I also picture Zeke and Calvin.

Watching them learn about what their family members and friends have fought and continue to fight. Watching them see cancer touch people they know. Watching them begin to understand that when we ride, we aren’t just riding a bike.

We are riding for people.

Cancer has touched my family in more ways than I wish it had. I remember my cousins losing their mom, my uncle fighting lymphoma while they were raising three little girls, the disbelief as we learned of another cancer diagnosis, and the sadness in my dad’s voice when he talks about losing his brother.

But there has been hope, too.

My sister-in-law’s mom surviving pancreatic cancer. The enormous relief and gratitude while hearing the news of a successful surgery. My uncle crossing the finish line as both a survivor and a founder of this incredible cause.

That’s what Pedal means to me.

Because cancer research isn’t just about adding years to a life.

It’s about adding life to those years.

Another birthday. Another wedding. Another family vacation. Another Cardinals game. Another bike ride. Another ordinary Tuesday afternoon that becomes a treasured memory simply because you got to have it together.

My Grandpa was given those moments.

And because he was, my boys got to know him.

…Now they get to help carry on something that meant so much to him.

Every dollar raised through Pedal the Cause stays right here in St. Louis to fund cancer research. And when I think about what that research means, I don’t think about numbers.

I think about people.

I think about my Grandpa’s shiny red helmet. His persistence and determination to keep going, no matter what life brought his way.

And I think about all the moments and memories still waiting to happen.

That’s why I ride.

For more time.

For more memories.

For more moments.

And hopefully, someday, for a world where the list of people we ride for is much, much shorter.

Please consider supporting my ride. I’d be so incredibly grateful. Every dollar helps make a tremendous impact in the fight against cancer.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping us keep riding. ❤️