Uncertainty

I started riding in the Great Cycle Challenge many years ago to help kids in their fight against cancer. I also have friends who have battled breast cancer. This year, I am participating in the challenge with hesitation.

My Mother-in-law is in the midst of her fight against ovarian cancer. As Dennis (my husband) and I are expending time and energy to support her in practical ways, I'm not confident that I will have mental reserves in August to meet any challenge goals or even to give it space in my head. My Mother-in-law is the priority over everything else right now.

But, I signed up again for the challenge.

I signed up because we need to fund better treatments and care for people dealing with cancer. We need private rooms for them in the hospital to protect their immune system. We need faster response time for tests and treatments and consults with specialists. We need to develop targeted treatments with fewer side effects.

I won't be riding much in August. I've struggled to ride over the past few years for other reasons, but this year, the only thing I can be sure of is that our family is in a place of uncertainty and I cannot commit to the cycling challenge.

I hope to see donations come through even if I don't spend time or energy to post on social media. I'm hoping this message will get out to my past sponsors and that together we can make a difference for childhood cancer research and care, which adds to the overall fight against the Big C that threatens our loved ones.