Four years after her diagnosis for brain cancer, Anne Feeley is riding her bicycle across country to raise money and awareness for one of the most deadly forms of cancer.
She and her friend and trainer, Gundula Hennig, set off from San Francisco late last week on their 3,800-mile cross-country fund-raising ride called Brains on Bikes. They are currently in Northern California.
The 55-year-old is the first to admit that she's been lucky. Doctors told her she probably had about a year to live. She suffered the same type of cancer — glioblastoma multiforme tumor — that afflicted the late Senator Ted Kennedy.
She underwent radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and she began exercising to make herself stronger. It gave her some control over her situation and made her feel better both spiritually and emotionally.
No survivors
At the American Brain Tumor Walk in Chicago last year, she was distressed that she couldn't find anyone who had survived as long as she had.
“It really showed me how lucky I was. And with that luck, I had to raise awareness.”
Together with her trainer, they decided to do something really big. They hatched the idea of a cross-country bike ride to raise money and awareness, and to honor all those going through the process of brain cancer treatments.
Publicity
Before taking the first pedal crank in San Francisco, Feeley already had drawn attention to the facts of brain cancer through her appearance on CNN and Bay Area TV outlets.
As they're now out on the open road, it will be difficult for anyone to ignore the two women on their ride. They'll be accompanied by a car and motorhome, both decorated in the similar colorful theme to the Brains on Bikes website.
The costs of the trip already are covered. Sponsors include ZimFit, RoadID, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Puppia International, Flexi, Choice Organic Teas, and Bob's Red Mill.
Donations
Feeley wants the ride to raise $3 million for UC-San Francisco's Brain Tumor Research Center, Stand Up 2 Cancer, the American Brain Tumor Association, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, and other charities.
You can check the Brains on Bikes website and click on donations. You can also follow their progress (everyone is invited to ride along) on an interactive map at the website.
Brains on Bikes plans to reach Washington DC by mid-July. Feeley has been running distance races for several years, climbed mountains in Great Britain, and competed at the International Indoor Rowing Championships.
She had the luck to beat brain cancer, and I'm sure she has the heart to finish a cross-country bike ride.
Photo above from YouTube video: Brains on Bikes: Help us outsmart brain cancer.
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