A few weeks ago, I made a donation to a 140-mile bike ride that my friend Paul Jaye is doing with his father, sister and cousin to raise money for cancer research. They named their Ride to Conquer Cancer crew Team Liz in honor of Paul’s mom, who lost her brave battle with cancer two years ago. When I shared the news of my cancer diagnosis with Paul, he wrote:
“Liz you're strong, you have a great core team in Sean, Sylvia & Tyler and a great community that will stand by you as you go through this. We will stand by your side, and help out the entire Gillespie clan in any way that we can.
You will be very much on my mind as we ride this weekend. Our team name is Team Liz, and I'll be riding for two Liz's, one dearly missed, and one going *very* strong.”
After the first day of Team Liz’s ride through the countryside of Ontario, where Paul grew up, he shared this:
“We've finished the first day’s ride, and I'm absolutely blown away at how many cancer survivors are riding on this ride! During the speeches a few survivors talked, and the thing that stood out was how they'd surmounted their cancer, and how much life was left to live.
It's an inspiring ride, and you're very much on my mind as we chased down the kilometers today.”
Paul and his family are very much on my mind, too. I share more than a name and a cruel disease with Paul’s mum. Just like Liz Jaye, I have an amazing support network of family and friends who love me dearly and will keep me strong during the fight that lies ahead of me.
At times like this, giving to a cause like Team Liz’s Ride to Conquer Cancer can turn heartache and anger into something positive and meaningful.
In that spirit, I share this link to Paul’s fundraising page.
Go, Team Liz!
