Approaching the finish line on Old Falls Street
After my mom died in 2021, I was feeling alone and helpless. Even though she did not have COVID-19, because of the timing of her Cancer Diagnosis, I was unable to visit her in the hospital for her various treatments, and travel was limited or complicated because of contact tracing, masking protocols, etc. That summer, Chrissy noticed that the husband of our friend, Olivia, participated in a 7-day Cancer Charity Ride across New York State, in honor of his mother-in-law, who was recently diagnosed. I called him up, and signed up for the ride the following February.
Over the last 5 years, I have completed the 550+ mile journey four different times, raising tens of thousands of dollars for Cancer Research at Roswell Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center in Buffalo, NY. This year alone, nearly 300 riders raised an unprecedented $2.4 million for the cause. With each dollar raised, Roswell is able to leverage an additional $20 from external grants toward that research and excitingly, we found out last week that a new clinical trial is taking place next year as a result of our fundraising efforts.
Back in 2022, my sister and her family had plans to come out and meet me at the finish line in Niagara Falls, but they caught the coronavirus and were unable to make the trip. (I did have an excellent cheering section, however, with Chrissy, my Dad, her mom, our cousins Jackie and Rob from Long Island, and some family friends, Raysa and Juan—Raysa is a cancer survivor) Fast forward four years, and the O'Donnells, along with my Dad, were finally able to make the journey.
Over the last 5 years, I have completed the 550+ mile journey four different times, raising tens of thousands of dollars for Cancer Research at Roswell Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center in Buffalo, NY. This year alone, nearly 300 riders raised an unprecedented $2.4 million for the cause. With each dollar raised, Roswell is able to leverage an additional $20 from external grants toward that research and excitingly, we found out last week that a new clinical trial is taking place next year as a result of our fundraising efforts.
Back in 2022, my sister and her family had plans to come out and meet me at the finish line in Niagara Falls, but they caught the coronavirus and were unable to make the trip. (I did have an excellent cheering section, however, with Chrissy, my Dad, her mom, our cousins Jackie and Rob from Long Island, and some family friends, Raysa and Juan—Raysa is a cancer survivor) Fast forward four years, and the O'Donnells, along with my Dad, were finally able to make the journey.
With brother-in-law Niall, my niece Aoife, nephew Ronan, my Dad Mike, and sister Sarah, at the Falls.
For anyone who knows me, they know that the Empire State Ride has become a vital part of my life, with my fellow riders being a very special community that I hold near and dear to my heart. Thank you to all who followed me on my journey during this past week, and another BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my campaign. I think my donation page will still be active for another week or so. If you would like to give, please find the link, here.
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