Cancer Is Not Winning – Why I am Riding the Ride to Conquer Cancer

Erica Voll is a social media marketer and blogger who is riding and raising money for the Abramson Cancer Center through the Philadelphia Ride to Conquer Cancer this October. In this blog, she writes about why she’s riding to help researchers at Penn conquer cancer. Be sure to follow her blog, No Sleep ’til College and Instagram for updates on her training and the ride. I am tired of cancer winning. I know cancer doesn’t always “win.” There have been amazing breakthroughs in cancer research that has led to better detection, more individualized treatments, and therapies that have led to many remissions. But with every diagnosis, with every scare and with every scan, cancer interrupts lives. Rich, full lives filled with family, friends, and things still left to do and see all of the sudden seem too short. In the past 10 years or so, I’ve met too many young people diagnosed with cancer.A new mom who thought the lump in her breast was a clogged milk duct she got while breastfeeding.A young mother of three who found a lump in her chest while in the shower getting ready to take her kids to school.A father who had to find a way to tell his children he was very ill, and that the outlook was not good. These are the stories that make me stop in my tracks, look around, and say, “What is going on here??? Why aren’t we shouting from the rooftops,’We’re tired of being bullied by horrible disease!'”But when I look around, I see hope. I see the Abramson Cancer Center just over the bridge from my home in New Jersey. I see a place where the best and brightest cancer researchers are making strides in cancer, so that our bodies can fight smarter. I see a place, where cancer isn’t winning. I see a place where the super heroes are researchers, doctors, nurses and caregivers. I see a place where people with cancer aren’t giving up.I am so inspired by the work happening at the Abramson Cancer Center, I wanted to do what I could to support research there – I joined the Ride to Conquer Cancer®.The Ride to Conquer Cancer is a 2-day, roughly 150-mile bike ride through the countryside (read: hilly) of Philadelphia’s suburbs. Every dollar raised through the ride goes to cancer research at the Abramson Cancer Center.Every dollar.Won’t you join me to help support cancer research?The Ride to Conquer Cancer®Join Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) on October 11 to 12, 2014 in the Ride to Conquer Cancer (RTCC)—an unforgettable and epic bike ride through Pennsylvania’s picturesque landscape -towards one life-changing destination: to cure cancer. The ride isn’t just for cyclists, it’s for anyone who wants to see a cure for cancer. At two-days and 150+ miles the RTCC will be a physical challenge—and an emotional and inspirational weekend—that will give you a chance to ride side by side with physicians, patients and families–raising serious funds and awareness in the ACC’s fight to cure cancer. The funds raised through the ride will be put to use immediately, powering the ACC’s vision to eradicate cancer as a cause of human disease and suffering through precision medicine, novel research, next-generation therapies, and compassionate care. Join TodayThis event will be remarkable, bringing together communities of cancer survivors, cyclists, and their supporters with a common goal to conquer this disease. Join the ride in October by registering today at www.ridetovictory.org or by calling (844) 777-7433.Before the ride, you will have access to:Expert coachingTraining rides in your areaPersonal web page for fundraisingHelpful manual2014 ride commemorative itemDuring the ride, participants will have access to:Event-day ride jerseySupport along the routeCatered mealsEntertainment at campMassage and medical care