Join us for our open house Friday Jan 27th from 5 – 7.  Enjoy light appetizers and drinks as you connect with 4K alumni, 2012 riders, the UCF Staff and Board.

Please take some time to browse our website as we are adding and updating information daily.  Our newest addition is our Join page.  Hope you enjoy.

Ulman Cancer Fund Announces Merger with 4K for Cancer

Combination of Organizations With a Shared Mission to

Activate Young Adults in the Fight Against Cancer

Baltimore, Maryland – November 28, 2011 - The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCFYA)today announced the merger with 4K for Cancer (4K), an organization with a shared vision to empower and activate young adults in the fight against cancer.

4K for Cancer began as the Hopkins 4K for cancer in 2001 when a group of undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University combined their desire to fight cancer with a goal to cycle 4,000 miles across the country. Each year, the organization coordinates a team of college students to cycle across the country while raising money and awareness for the fight against cancer.

4K for Cancer grew to become a stand-alone non-profit organization in 2008, and teamed up with UCFYA in 2011. The merger announced today will provide 4K for Cancer with the infrastructure and support necessary for growth, while leveraging the relationships both organizations have fostered with volunteers, donors, and strategic partners.

“UCFYA and 4K for Cancer are stronger as one and we’re excited to welcome such an extraordinary organization,” said UCFYA Executive Director Brock Yetso. “We share common values and a mission to support young adults with cancer by providing a platform for awareness and engagement through sport. We are humbled to have this partnership and believe the next chapter of the Ulman Cancer Fund and 4K will bring many successes that we are both anticipating – and those we can’t even predict yet!”

According to 4K for Cancer Board of Directors Chairman and Founder Ryan Hanley, the merger unites two organizations that have similar histories, and an extraordinary base of supporters. Both organizations were founded on a college campus and have grown around the shared motivations of helping young adults and communities impacted by cancer.

“Our goal for the merger is to continue to empower our riders and alumni to make a positive impact in the cancer community, while improving the support that they receive to do so,” Hanley said. “By teaming up with UCF, we will gain much needed infrastructure support while staying focused on our core mission.”

For UCFYA, the addition of 4K for Cancer will enhance its ability to activate more people in the fight against cancer while using sport as a platform to raise substantial revenue to support the growth of UCFYA Patient Navigation Programs at cancer centers across the country. Over the next several weeks, 4K for Cancer will move one employee over to the UCFYA staff and four Directors over to the UCFYA Board of Directors. The merger is scheduled to be finalized with the State of Maryland in early January.

About Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults:

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF), founded in 1997, is the national leader in providing specialized support for young adults affected by cancer. With nearly 70,000 young adults diagnosed every year, our organization helps young people fight the disease and navigate treatment by providing access to information, support groups, and other specialized programs. UCF Patient Navigation Programs have set a national standard and can be accessed remotely or through onsite Patient Navigators at a growing number of hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region. UCF is a founding member of the LIVESTRONGTM Young Adult Alliance and a national pioneer in developing innovative approaches in cancer support. UCF enhances lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer. For more information, please visit,www.ulmancancerfund.org.

About 4K for Cancer:

The 4K for Cancer is dedicated to empowering young adults in uniting communities across the country in the fight against cancer through community service and support. 4K for Cancer began as the Hopkins 4K for Cancer in 2001 when a group of undergraduate students at the Johns Hopkins University decided to combine their desire to fight against cancer with their dream of cycling across the country. Founded by Ryan Hanley in the memory of his father who passed away from cancer, the 4K set off on the first 4,000-mile journeys from Baltimore to San Francisco in the summer of 2002.  The founding team included Jenn Hardy, Leah Blom, Kelly Hewitt and Brent Bass. Since its beginnings, 4K has rasied over $1Million to support the cancer fight in Baltimore, MD and communities across the country.

Ulman Cancer Fund merges with 4K for Cancer to help fundraising
Two organizations will work together to raise awareness

By Janene Holzberg, Special to The Baltimore Sun
5:48 p.m. EST, December 1, 2011

Original Article

Ryan Hanley spent the summer before he turned 18 thinking about organizing a transcontinental bike ride to raise money for cancer. When he entered the Johns Hopkins University, he set about selling the idea and recruiting classmates and friends to ride 4,000 miles.

The maiden effort that he had dubbed 4K for Cancer — which raised $80,000 in 2002 in memory of Hanley’s father, who had died of cancer when Hanley was 13 — operated under the university’s auspices for five years before becoming an independent nonprofit organization.

Now, 4K for Cancer is merging with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, a Columbia-based advocacy and support organization.

Founded in 1997 by three-time cancer survivor Doug Ulman, brother of County Executive Ken Ulman, the UCF is one of only a dozen nonprofit organizations in the country that focus solely on young adult patients and their families, said Brock Yetso, executive director.

“This merger will make each of our organizations stronger,” said Yetso, whose mother died four weeks after she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2000. “Society is recognizing that cancer is the No. 1 killer of our population and getting on the bandwagon.”

The missions and personal experiences of the two staffs are so complementary that they seemed destined to align, he said. Cancer turned most of their lives upside-down in one way or another, and motivated them to re-evaluate their priorities.

“There were 70,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer across the country last year — eight times the number of children,” he said, quoting statistics from the National Cancer Institute. “While there are well-funded organizations that advocate for kids and those that advocate for older adults, there are not a lot in between.”

Merging the UCF’s focus on connecting, educating and supporting young adults with cancer with 4K’s appeal to college students who want to join in the fight will help the UCF achieve the success of other age-specific campaigns, Yetso said.

“Our business model was already based on collaboration and partnerships,” he said. “We’re all about not reinventing the wheel.”

While 4K will retain its identity, staff, programming and website, it will become a program under the umbrella of the UCF, said Brian Satola, assistant director. The 4K staff has already moved into the UCF’s Baltimore office; the UCF’s Howard County office is located on Stevens Forest Road.

“We give them a lot of credit for putting egos aside and seeing the larger picture,” said Satola, whose sister faced leukemia as a child and is a two-time cancer survivor. “This merger will enable us to leverage more resources and have a greater impact. It was a question of taking something great and making it even greater.”

Jessica Protasio, a children’s instructor and research specialist at the Savage branch of the Howard County Library, said she’s “doing great” since her liver transplant in March. But it was the support she received from the UCF during a series of setbacks leading up to her surgery that made all the difference, she said.

And Protasio has been through a lot. An appendectomy was canceled last summer while she was waiting to be taken to the operating room so hospital physicians could further examine her liver. Testing revealed a tumor.

Months later, she awoke from anesthesia after a scheduled liver resection, in which only cancerous parts of the liver are removed, to learn that procedure was stopped when surgeons discovered her cancer had spread. A transplant became her only option as she became very ill.

“When I came out of appointments and my patient navigator was waiting for me … that just meant so much,” she recalled.

UCF patient navigators stationed in several area hospitals offer educational guidance and emotional support to 2,000 clients a year, Yetso said. “We’re there to hold their hands up to a point, but we also empower them to handle their treatment,” he explained.

UCF employees have provided everything from transportation to shoulders to cry on, Protasio said, even hooking her up with a “cancer buddy” who’d had a similar type of cancer and understood what she was going through.

As if that wasn’t enough, Protasio now participates in UCF events, which include walks, runs and triathlons. Soon 4K for Cancer’s cycling fundraisers will be added to that mix.

“I’ve learned that it’s exciting to help people and be part of the community of we, instead of the community of me,” she said. “This is an amazing organization.”

Dr. Susan Moriarty, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Columbia, said her practice has helped fund UCF events and looks forward to the possibilities the merger will bring.

“Young adults with cancer are not in the news a lot, but this is a critical group and merging with another group that involves college students is brilliant,” she said.

Yetso couldn’t agree more.

“We’ve each been able to build an army of supporters using sports,” he said of the two organizations.

“But the Ulman Fund wasn’t immune to the economic downturn these last three years. With a 50 to 70 percent dip in donations, we were begging people to attend events, and we had to lay off three employees,” he said.

“The old way wasn’t working, and we’re becoming more innovative,” Yetso said. “The key is working with people who can help us do our job better.”

4K Community,

On behalf of the Ulman Cancer Fund and the rest of the 4K for Cancer staff, I would like to announce that registration for the 2012 ride will be opening and available to all accepted riders on Wednesday November 16th. We apologize for the delay and hope everyone is able to navigate the page well.

Please check in for future updates and news as we implement new systems to make the 4K a more rewarding experience for everyone involved.

Thank you,

Stephen Hersey

Interim 4K for Cancer Program Coordinator,
Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults

Two UMBC Students Biked Four Thousand Miles Over the Summer to Fight Cancer

http://arbutus.patch.com/articles/two-umbc-biked-four-thousand-miles-to-fight-cancer-over-the-summer

Two UMBC students biked from Baltimore to San Francisco this summer with 4k For Cancer.

• By Maria Satyshur
• September 14, 2011

Check out our September 2012 Newsletter and read about our new staff and our plans for 2012.

Please check out our August 2011 Newsletter.

The 4K for Cancer is excited to announce that we have moved into our new offices in the Locust Point neighborhood of Baltimore (921 East Fort Avenue, Suite 325, Baltimore, MD 21230).

We are sharing the space with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults as part of our growing partnership which includes our $300,000 pledge over three years to fund a Young Adult Patient Navigation Program at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Young Adult Patient Navigation Program offers comprehensive services to young adult cancer patients, working in conjunction with the cancer center’s multi-disciplinary medical care teams, social work staff and other care providers.

In addition to the Navigation Program, sharing an office space will allow 4K and Ulman to partner on a variety of mission focused programs and events. Stay tuned for more details.

To inspire and unite

June 28, 2011

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4K For Cancer Spreading Message In GJ

Group Of Bike Riders Surpassing Donation Goal

POSTED: 6:44 pm MDT July 12, 2011
UPDATED: 7:02 pm MDT July 12, 2011

Riding across country for cancer

About 90 cyclists are crossing the United States for cancer research and treatment, and nearly 30 of them cruised through Morgan County Saturday.

The 4K for Cancer group that visited the area is headed from Baltimore, where the ride started May 29, to San Francisco, Calif. with a planned finishing date of Aug. 6. Two other groups are headed for Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash.

The group headed for San Francisco stopped in Fort Morgan Saturday afternoon, then biked to Wiggins for an overnight stay at Summit Baptist Church.

The church has hosted riders from the organization before, said rider Zachary Turner.

The 4K for Cancer group (named for a cross-country journey of about 4,000 miles) got its start at Johns Hopkins in 2001 when some students put it together.

Since, it has grown to a foundation that included college students and graduates from numerous schools.

Turner is from the University of Florida; others come from schools like the University of Connecticut, Johns Hopkins and Loyola Marymount.

They share a common bond, Turner said: “We`ve all been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form.”

Most have had a friend or relative battling cancer; two of the riders in the group with Turner are cancer survivors.

All are college students or recent graduates; they range in age from 18 to 26.

Each rider is asked to raise at least $4,500 for the organization before hitting the road.

“Most people wind up going over the $4,500 mark,” Turner said.

The cyclists are responsible for maintaining their own bikes; donations and a small budget support food needs, and the group stays at churches and the like along the way. Planning for the ride started last fall. Food is a significant factor; cyclists on the trip have been advised to consume a minimum of 5,000 calories a day.

The group met up with some local cyclists in eastern Colorado before hitting Morgan County and received some donations

Riders in the 4K for Cancer cross-country ride take a break at the Fort Morgan Sonic Drive-In.

from them.The cyclists try to ride in groups of three to six; larger groups are dangerous, Turner said.

Often when they stop at a gas station for a candy bar or to fill up a water bottle, someone getting gas will make a donation.

Saturday at the Sonic Drive-In in Fort Morgan, Turner was approached by Jeffrey Whitman, a Sonic area representative, who bought soft drinks for the group and presented Turner with some Sonic gift certificates.

Random acts of kindness like that keep the riders going when they hit rough patches, Turner said, adding, “You don`t soon forget them, either.”

So far, the ride has raised more than $455,000.

To donate or for more information, visit 4kforcancer.org on the Web.

– Contact John La Porte at news@fmtimes.com.

Cyclists make pit stop in Paola

Bike riders raising money for cancer fight

 

Photo by Adam Strunk A cyclist passing through Miami County last week reacts to Bike Doctor Dale Dollar’s diagnosis. Dollar spent much of the day repairing the cyclists’ bikes for free.

By Adam Strunk

 

 

 

They bike. Through 90-degree temperatures, severe thunderstorms, over rivers and mountain ranges, they bike. When nightfall comes they sleep in churches, in YMCAs or under the stars. They rise before the sun to dedicate the day’s ride to those they lost and those they met along the way. They write these peoples’ names in marker on their legs. The names pump up and down as they traverse narrow country roads or shoulderless highways where each passing 18-wheeler threatens to suck them off the road. The trip is difficult, but so is curing cancer.These riders are a part of 4K For Cancer, a national bike ride that has raised nearly $500,000 this summer in the fight against the disease.They stopped outside of the Miami County Courthouse on June 22 to repair their bikes and to spend the night at the Paola United Methodist Church across the street. Each rider is responsible for raising $4,500 before beginning the trip. The funds are then donated to the American Cancer Society, the Ulman Cancer Fund and other organizations aimed at curing or helping those dealing with cancer.

From Baltimore to Portland, for 4,000 miles, there is no quitting with the group of 26, not with a broken wheel or a broken vertebra. They can’t quit, because cancer doesn’t quit. It doesn’t quit inside the bodies of their friends or those they love.They are young, mostly college-aged from the East Coast, yet few have escaped the shadow of the illness.

“About 95 percent of us have had someone close to us affected by cancer,” said bicyclist Christopher Young of Mount Airy, Md.

Young has dedicated his ride to his grandfather who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008.

Many of the cyclists use these experiences to inspire them and drive them on.

“When it gets hard, I think of those I know or all the other people battling cancer,” said bicyclist Jane Williams of Bethesda, Md., who lost a grandfather to the disease. “They take it one day at a time, so I take it one hill at a time.”The journey has not been without its share of difficulties. Williams took a spill in Ohio and fractured a vertebra. Her back is healing but now she rides in the van that carries the bicyclists’ luggage. In Dansville, Mo., a huge thunderstorm snuck up on the group while they were camping. A large tree blew over between two tents. Only a few feet made the difference between a close call and a tragedy. There is also the day-to-day grind of the trip. The group rides an average of 86 miles a day. Williams said hills and the heat of the 70-day ride have a way of wearing a person down.

“It’s just such a physical and mental challenge,” she said.

Making all these challenges easier is the charity and kindness they receive along the way.

Restaurants often feed the group for free. Others they meet help out whatever way they can.

Dale Dollar of Paola, also known as the Bike Doctor, was one of these people. All afternoon, Dollar sat on the tailgate of his truck fixing bent tires, loose brakes and damaged sprockets.

“Who’s next?” he would yell, and one biker would leave the soccer game they were playing on the courthouse lawn and roll a damaged bike over. A few minutes later Dollar would have the bike fixed. Dollar repaired all the bikes for free.

“No, I won’t charge anybody going so far and doing something like this,” Dollar said. “It’s my own contribution to the cause,” he said. Many others made their own contributions as well. First Baptist Church of Paola provided a place for the bicyclists to shower.

At supper time six women of the Paola United Methodist church served the group a dinner of lasagna, fruit salad and brownies.

For Royce Collins, a six-year breast cancer survivor, helping to organize and serve the meal had a special meaning. Collins said the opportunity to serve those who were working to fight the disease that she herself had battled was rewarding.

“It was amazing to serve them and to talk with them,” Collins said. “They were delightful college-aged students. They were hungry too.”

The next morning it was Collin’s name pumping up and down on bicyclist Clayton Lively’s leg after the group left the Paola church. As the group rode toward Lawrence, Paola faded into the distance but the memories of the assistance the community provided did not.

“As I ride, I will be thinking of Royce,” said Lively in a blog post he made about the visit to town. “We are all extremely grateful for the hospitality shown by her and the Paola community.”

Bozeman girl who helps kids with cancer picked for trip abroad

Cross-country riders find rest, wind in Kansas

Published on -6/27/2011, 10:43 AM

Two Chagrin residents join cross-country bike ride

Published: Sunday, June 26, 2011, 8:00 AM

By Gina Christo, Sun News

CHAGRIN FALLS — On June 9, 30 riders biked into Cleveland as a stop on their 4,000 mile journey to Seattle. Among these riders were two Chagrin Falls residents — Alex Hinch and Graham McClurg.

The riders are spending their summer traveling from Maryland to Seattle on bikes to battle cancer and have a life-changing experience.

4K For Cancer is an organization that sponsors three cross country bike rides each year. The pillars of the organization are to spread cancer awareness, raise funds in memory and support of those suffering from cancer and fostering hope by speaking with those who have been touched by cancer along the way.

Hinch spoke with Sun News in May about his upcoming ride and what he was expecting. Since the ride began three weeks ago, he has found himself pleasantly surprised by the sense of community he has begun to feel.

“Everyone who is here knows why they are here and who they are doing it for,” Hinch said. “Every day we write on the back of our legs who we are dedicating our day to and I think that helps people through the days and what they are doing.”

The reasons these 30 college-aged students are biking across the country vary.

“I wanted to find a ride that benefited cancer and people struggling with it,” said Emma Moody, 21, who graduated from Miami University this past spring. A cyclist during college, Moody wanted to take something she loved doing and turn into something that could help others.

McClurg wanted another summer of doing something extraordinary while benefiting the greater good.

“Last summer I was doing a mission trip in Ecuador and I was thinking about the summer that would follow, and I thought, ‘I want to ride my bike across the country’,” McClurg said.

While each rider has to raise $4,500 to participate in the ride, that is not the only way these riders give back. Throughout the 70-day trip, everyone does a service project in one of the communities they ride through. Riders find it is a great way to take some time off the bike and get a sense of the community they are passing through. Plus, it gives them an opportunity to give back to the people who support them while they are there, whether it be with food or board.

To follow the cyclists route, read the riders’ blog or donate to the cause, go to 4kforcancer.org.McClurg, Hinch and the other cyclists are on the 2011 Baltimore to Seattle trip.

Slide Show

Group unites communities in fight against cancer

Cyclists enjoy hospitality of St. Joseph Catholic Church

By KEVIN R. JENKINS Daily Journal Staff Writer | Posted: Monday, June 20, 2011 7:15 am | (0) Comments

Kevin Jenkins / Daily JournalAfter traveling as many as 100 miles per day for six days in a row, the 27 cyclists representing the 4K for Cancer organization end each day feeling successful, but exhausted.

 

FARMINGTON – A group of 27 cyclists taking part in a 70 day, 4,000 mile bike ride from Baltimore, Md., to San Francisco, Calif., spent Wednesday — the evening of their 18th day on the road — as guests of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Farmington.

The hungry and exhausted riders arrived at the church about 30 minutes late for the 8 p.m. meal and program due to a couple of flat tires and a few injuries encountered earlier in the day. Their gratitude was very evident; however, as they were warmly greeted by the church’s pastor, Fr. Rickey, as well as assorted church members and community leaders.

Ranging in age from 19 to 26 years old, the cyclists are affiliated with 4K for Cancer, a national non-profit organization dedicated to uniting communities across the country in the fight against cancer. Each raised at least $4,500 to participate in the cross-country journey that began in Baltimore on May 29 and is scheduled to end Aug. 6 in San Francisco.

Most, but not all of the riders, attend Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Some attend other colleges, while some finished their schooling years ago. A few have had previous experience as long-distance cyclists, but the majority have never been a part of a trip like this before.

Phoebe Campbell and Nick Pantaleo are the first of several leg leaders on the journey whose responsibility it is to help plan the day-to-day logistics for their fellow cyclists. Both say they, along with their fellow riders, have already been challenged both physically and mentally on the trip. Both agree the trip’s most difficult and exhausting part so far was cycling over the Appalachian Mountains.

Pantaleo described the experience of cycling up the steep mountain roads in southwest Virginia as “humbling.”

“Imagine a road that goes for 3.5 miles straight up,” said Pantaleo. “A solid hour of constant peddling where you don’t go very far.

Campbell and Pantaleo explained that the group rides for six days in a row and then takes one day off. At first, the cyclists traveled 55 miles, or so. Now, they sometimes cover as many as 100 miles.

Traveling along with the cyclists are two vehicles that provide the riders with water stops along the way, offer rides for the injured or sick and give shelter when the weather turns bad.

At the end of the day, the riders either camp or are given a place to shower and spend the night at public schools and churches such as St. Joseph. Several of the cyclists expressed how much they enjoy meeting people along the way. Although they all get along well with each other, they said that having an opportunity to visit with people outside of their group is always a treat.

After enjoying their meal, the cyclists were welcomed to the area by Farmington Mayor Mit Landrum, Sen. Kevin Engler, St. Joseph Parish Pastoral Council member Dave Sansegraw and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Doug McDermott.

The evening ended with a special presentation by local businesswoman Kathy Dziewa, whose husband, Al, died of cancer in 2005. She was aided in the presentation by her daughter, Ann, and son, Robert. Dziewa told those in attendance how much her husband had loved cycling and what an impact his life had on his family and others.

Following the program’s conclusion, the cyclists took showers and headed to bed, knowing that at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, they were going to be heading for their next stop along the journey.

Highlights of the trip ahead will include cycling through the Rocky Mountain, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion national parks.  The riders will also explore the north rim of the Grand Canyon before heading to Lake Tahoe, Nev., and then on to northern California where they will cycle down through Napa’s famous Wine Country before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.

 

Read more: http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/article_5be179b6-9b38-11e0-90be-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1Q3mXTABw

A nice story about Team San Francisco from The Morning Sun newspaper.

SEAN STEFFEN/THE MORNING SUN

Ganesh Swaminathan, 20 of Singapore, Tom Backof, 26, of Baltimore, and Caitlin Schram, 22, of Detroit, ride into Girard Sunday night. There are 27 riders in their group, 4K For Cancer, and they will end in San Francisco in August. Backof and another rider, Nick Pucci, 24, of Philadelphia, are cancer survivors.

By WILLIAM KLUSENER

The Morning Sun

Posted Jun 21, 2011 @ 01:00 PM

GIRARD —

Each year bicyclists from around the United States travel through Pittsburg and Girard on cross-country trips. They typically come in alone or in groups of five to 10.

But on Sunday evening, 27 bikers from the group 4K For Cancer, a Baltimore-based organization based out of Johns Hopkins University, stopped in Girard for the night before heading west to Fall River and Wichita on their way to San Francisco. The group’s size and route direction makes them unique — most riders start from the West Coast in part to take advantage of tailwinds. But it is unique in another way: two of its members, Tom Backof, 26, and Nick Pucci, 24, are recent cancer survivors.

Backof was diagnosed last year with a 4.5-lb. tumor that affected one of his lymph nodes and a lung. It was a collection of smaller ailments occurring at the same time, including shortness of breath, that led him to seek treatment.

“If it was any one of those by themselves I wouldn’t have gone,” Backof said.

Doctors initially thought the massive blob on the X-ray chart was an infection, Backof said. But when an MRI scan proved it was some sort of growth mass that had essentially collapsed his lung, Backof was given the option of waiting for the results of a biopsy or proceeding with removal surgery.

“I said ‘Let’s get it out of there,’” Backof said. That was a year ago.

About a month before he departed with the group in May, Backof had surgery to repair his diaphragm. That didn’t leave much time to prepare. The rest of the riders had had at least a few weeks to attempt to get into shape. But Backof wasn’t going to be deterred.

“My bike weighs about 30 pounds, and I lifted it a week before I was supposed to,” he chuckled. “I broke the rules a bit.”

Backof is in the clear for now, but still returns every six to eight months for screenings.

“After five years, I might be able to stop,” he said.

Pucci’s story is a bit less dramatic, but no less significant. Pucci, who works in finance in New York, was traveling in Italy with his family after he graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2009. In the midst of a cold, he noticed the lymph nodes in his neck had swollen to abnormal proportions. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he returned in April of 2009 and promptly started six months of chemotherapy.

“We caught it early,” the Philadelphia native said. “It was pretty ‘by the book.’”

Pucci now returns every three to five months for checkups.

The two don’t see themselves as any different than the rest of the riders, though. They still bike the average of between 80 and 90 miles a day, and go through the same pain. And each of the riders at least knows someone who has been affected directly by cancer.

Often the group relies on the kindness of strangers for their bedding and food. Most aren’t hobby cyclists, so the first few weeks through the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains were tough, said rider Emily Efronson.

“We only get five to six hours of sleep each night,” Efronson said. “We’ve all gained the ability to sleep just about anywhere.”

And for a bunch of kids who weren’t serious riders, the physically-exhausting work can be mentally taxing as well, said Nick Pantaleo, one of the leaders for the first leg of the ride.

“But you just put your head down and go,” Pantaleo said. “We really lean on each other for support. I know I couldn’t do this by myself.”

It’s that group support that most impresses Backof.

“The best part of this is getting to ride with all these cool people and living with them for 70 days,” Backof said. “And for the people we meet along the way, it’s a chance to put a face to the fight.”

Pucci agreed.

“It’s been pretty inspirational to see everyone push through and progress,” he said.

Copyright 2011 Morning Sun. Some rights reserved

We received an email this morning asking “Are you censoring or restricting posts to the web site?”.  The email went on to say that “I check the progress everyday and only see postings from maybe three people. With a team of 25 energetic young people who are on this wonderful adventure I would expect much more information and anecdotes to be posted.”

No, we are not censoring rider’s emails or doing anything to restrict them from blogging. With the May 27th launch of our new website – we have tried to create a platform to which all our riders can easily post their dedications and adventures. If they have a smartphone and cell service (which isn’t always a given) – it is a snap for riders to post photos, videos, and text posts. Each of our three rides has a dedicated trip computer with hotspot (which in theory means our riders always have internet connection at night) that they can use at night and during off days to post to their blog. Many riders brought along their own personal computers as well.

So with so many options, why aren’t riders posting more often?

1. Many riders are still getting accustomed to biking 80 to 100 miles a day and by the time they roll into our hosts at night – they have neither the time or energy to post. This will change as they become stronger and the days get easier.

2. Establishing a routine. For our dozen or so riders who are posting on a regular basis – they have established a regular routine of posting to their blog – even if it is just a short dedication or photo. We are working to help our other riders get into the same routine.

3. Many riders are posting directly to their facebook page or to their personal blogs instead of using 4kforcancer.org. We are working on the development of some software gadgets that will allow us to import rider posts from other blogs. Until then we are encouraging riders to blog at our website instead of only using their personal blog.

That’s it from our end.

What can you do to encourage your friends and family member riders to post more often? Let them know how much their efforts mean to you. Regardless if you are friend or family member, a donor, a cancer patient, or someone whom met our riders along their journey – reach out to them and encourage them to find the time to tell their stories. Remind them of the inspiration and hope they are spreading while at the same time offer them support and encouragement. When they do post, leave comments letting them know that you are reading!

We feel confident that in the coming days and weeks we will have more riders blogging, more posts, photos and videos to share with you.

Until then, thank you for supporting our riders and our mission.

Photos from the 2011 Send-Off Ceremony for our Baltimore to San Francisco, Baltimore to Portland and Baltimore to Seattle rides.

Hard to believe that it has only been a week since we watched 85 riders leave Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and take off on three cross country bike rides – each lasting 70 days and traveling 4000 miles.  Even harder to believe that after one week our rides have already covered so much ground:  Team San Francisco has cycled 512 miles to Marion, VA, Team Portland has cycled 460 miles to Cleveland, OH, and Team Seattle has cycled 441 miles to Niagara Falls, NY.

As you read the blog posts from our riders you will start to pick up on a reoccurring theme – our cross country rides aren’t just cross country bike rides. Our goal isn’t to see the United States from atop a bike. All three of our rides are “Mission Focused Rides”. Each day our riders dedicate that day’s ride to a friend or family member who has been touched by cancer. Often they dedicate the ride to someone they meet during the previous day while cycling or while visiting cancer patients. Riders also ride on behalf of our donors – many of whom requested dedications when they gave money to support a rider.

Each morning starts with an (often emotional) dedication circle where riders go around and share whom they are riding for. Rider’s write the names of these people on their calves to remind themselves and other riders as to why we are riding. Throughout the day our riders share their stories with the generous communities that give us food donations and a place to sleep at night. We also listen to the stories of cancer patients and their caregivers. Hopefully they are able to draw as much strength from our journey as we are drawing from their journey against cancer.

Our mission isn’t to ‘just’ bike across the country. Our mission is to cycle, inspire, and unite communities in the fight against cancer.

The following was posted original at UCF’s blog.

A Ride To INSPIRE

4K for Cancer Riders dip their rear wheels into the Baltimore Inner Harbor

For many of us, the Memorial Day Weekend marked the unofficial start of summer and a day to remember those that have served our country.  This past Memorial Day weekend, I spent time with an amazing group of 90 young men and women that added a whole new meaning to the weekend – a cross country journey to support the young adult cancer fight!

On Sunday morning at approximately 8:30 am, 90 college students from all across the Mid-Atlantic, dipped the back tires of their bicycles into the Baltimore Inner Harbor to ceremoniously mark the beginning of the 4K for Cancer. Many of these riders are strangers right now but over the course of the next three months they will bike cross country for cancer while building lifelong friendships and becoming a powerful force in the fight against cancer.

4K for Cancer is an amazing organization and partner of the UCF that I’ve mentioned in previous blogs. Much like UCF, they were founded on a college campus by Johns Hopkins student Ryan Hanley and his friends whose lives had been impacted by cancer. Fueled by a personal passion to make a difference and a vision of doing something many thought was impossible (or just plain crazy), they rode their bikes cross country to raise awareness and money for the cancer fight while instilling hope in people and communities they encountered.

This year 4K and UCF started a fitting partnership where the fundraising efforts from these 90 college students will go to support UCF’s mission and young adults facing cancer. 4K funds will specifically help UCF support the expansion of our navigation program efforts to more cancer centers in the Mid-Atlantic.  Funds from this years ride will enable us to begin young adult navigation programing at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

After the tradition of dipping their tires into the Harbor, the 90 riders broke up into three groups to prepare to start their cross-country journey.  Four thousand miles (4K) and 70 days later one group will end up in San Francisco, one in Seattle, and one in Portland.

Prior to Sunday’s kick-off, I had the humbling opportunity to address the riders a few times to both thank them for their support and to remind them of how critically important their efforts were to helping their peers back here in Baltimore fighting cancer.

UCF was presented with a $100K commitment by 4K for Cancer to expand its Navigation Programs to additional cancer centers in Baltimore.  As I told the riders, while they’re pedaling and busting their butts the next three months to get cross-country, we’ll be doing the same back here in Baltimore to help more young adults navigate their cancer journey.

4K for Cancer presents a check for $100K to The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults

Thank you to David, Ryan, the entire 4K Board, and 2011 Riders for believing in the work of UCF and taking on the issue of young adult cancer! After my remarks and the ride kick-off, a mother and her 20 year old daughter came up to me to say hello and thank you. Her daughter recently finished her cancer treatment at Hopkins and she was so excited to know that one of her friends riding cross country would be helping support other young adults like her.

For more photos go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulmancancerfund/sets/72157626726970439/

 

We have most of the kinks worked out with the website and are (slowly) getting ride pages updated and fixed.  The big goal with our new website was for riders to be able to tell their stories as they cycle across the country.  Between the challenges of learning how to use the website and our riders finding the time during a first rough week of cycling to actually blog – we are a bit behind but working to get there.  Thanks for your patience.

It has been an amazing weekend and an incredible day. We launched three cross country rides sending 85 riders on a 4000 mile journey across the United States with the goal of supporting cancer patients in their fight against cancer.

We also launched our new 4K for Cancer website – complete with daily route information, blog posts from our riders, and interactive features where friends and families can comment and communicate with the riders. While the first day of the rides when off without a hitch… we weren’t so fortunate with our website launch. We are experience some bugs with the daily ride posts and blogs and hope to have fixed by Tuesday. In the meantime you can still see the most recent post from each ride on the homepage or see post from each rider by going directly to their profile page.

Thanks for your support.

Four short days away from send-off of our 2011 4K for Cancer rides! As we finalize last minute details for the launch of our 85 riders and three cross country rides, it is hard to believe that this time last year we were sending off 28 riders on just one ride. Although it is easy to focus on the huge leap forward we have made as an organization this past year, it is just as important to stop and recognize that we wouldn’t be where we are today without the hard work and dedication of our alumni. Our 2002 riders who formed the 4K and cycled 4000 miles on our inaugural Baltimore to San Francisco ride. Our 2009 riders who laid the ground work for us becoming a non-profit organization. Our 2010 riders who raised the funds for us to hire an executive director so we could expand our rides, our mission and our fundraising.

Looking forward and looking back – there is a lot of really good stuff going on. We are glad that you are hear to be part of it.

- David

After several years building up to this key milestone, the 4K is thrilled to announce the hire of its first Executive Director, David Conover! David has a background tailor-made to lead the 4K through its next stage of growth, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him!

David has spent over 15 years in the fields of community building, education and outdoor leadership programs. He has run two non-profits and directed three community-based organizations, including organizing several long-distance cycling events. David and his family (wife Jennifer and ten-month old daughter Olive) just completed a two-year stay in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where David taught at an international high school. He also founded and worked as the Executive Director of Basketball Kyrgyzstan, a non-profit which funds the Kyrgyzstan national basketball team and supports the growth of basketball throughout the country.

Before living overseas, David directed the outdoor recreation and education programs at the University of Houston and Cal State University at San Bernardino. He also founded and directed the Austin Outdoor School, a non-profit offering outdoor leadership programs for youths.

We are confident that David’s extensive experience running non-profits will give the 4K the leadership it seeks. Furthermore, David’s personal connection with cancer makes the 4K’s mission of central importance to him. As he puts it, “The mission of the 4K really speaks to me on both a personal and professional level – I am excited about becoming part of the 4K family and leading the organization into the future.”

David will be charged with leading the 4K while growing our mission and impact. In addition to the daily tasks of running the 4K, David will focus over the next year on executing the 4K’s ambitious growth plan. Our aim is to expand to multiple cross-country trips this fall, with a richer experience for both our riders and supporters.

Please feel free to reach out to David as he’s anxious to meet as many alumni, parents, and supporters as he can. If you’re making it to our Baltimore Marathon event over October 16th-17th, you’ll be able to meet David and his family in person.

In the fight against cancer,
Ryan Hanley

After a year of hard work and logistics planning, the 2010 Hopkins team is finally ready to take off for the summer. On Sunday morning, May 30th, they will embark on their 4,000 mile journey from Baltimore to San Francisco.

If you would like to join us for the sendoff, we will be arriving at the Baltimore Inner Harbor by 7am on Sunday morning. After a few speeches, some good wishes, and lots of hugs from loved ones, we’ll leave the Atlantic Ocean behind and head out. We plan to take off by 7:30am. If you would like to meet us at the harbor and want more details, please email our directors at 4kdirectors2010@gmail.com.

Once we take off, be sure to check our website often as we’ll have updates all summer. Follow the riders through their photos, videos, and journal entries.

We hope to see you on the 31st!

Hi 4K Friends!

We have some exciting news to announce! After several years preparing to grow the 4K for Cancer, we are finally ready to do so. We’re thrilled to announce that we’re searching for a new full-time Executive Director to lead the 4K through its growth plans. We hope to find the perfect match so that we can have them start this summer.

We’re looking for talented candidates who have a passion for our cause and the desire to make a huge difference for a small non-profit. And although we may be small today, we’ve got big plans. If you’re interested or know someone who might be a perfect fit, we’d be honored to hear from you!

To see the full job description, please use this link.

Christopher Louie
March 4th, 2010

The 4K recently held our annual check presentation at the Hope Lodge, symbolizing yet another closing chapter of the 2009 team –the epilogue, if you will.  While this was technically the last event for the 2009 riders, the torch was passed to the fresh and eager 2010 team who were thrilled to finally experience, in many ways, our home away from home.  Whether viewed as the closing of 2009 or the kickoff for 2010, it was classic 4K: telling stories, learning about the residents, and sharing a great meal.  For the alumni, it was old friends reconnecting and trying to convey the experience of an outrageous, borderline insane, and seemingly implausible trek.  Everyone could tell the summer had changed us.  While thinking of the mountains, desert, headwinds, and hail, spending time with our Hope Lodge family reminded us of our inspiration to push through the difficult stretches and our reasons for joining the team in the first place.

While some alumni sported lingering tan-lines, the new riders listened intently, attempting to comprehend the magnitude of the 4K experience.  This juxtaposition of the past and the future riders was certainly amusing for the residents and caregivers, who were thrilled to have such a diverse turnout.  Luckily we also had the chance to meet a handful of residents still in their first week at the Hope Lodge, who were pretty surprised when they learned of our route.  The infamous Karen Seaberry (Hope Lodge Manager) and Kira Eyring (American Cancer Society representative) also gave some kind remarks about the 4K and our mission.

The underlying theme of the evening characterized how the Hope Lode and the 4K are fundamentally interwoven, indicative of how such an eclectic group instantly feels like a family.  While the alumni were applauded for the summer efforts, the residents and caregivers were truly the heroes of the day.  We always hope they understand that.  Without them and events at the Hope Lodge, the 4K wouldn’t exist as it does today.  Even though the 4K was thanked graciously for the support, we are equally grateful to be a part of the Hope Lodge and look forward to our next visit.

We thought we’d start off the New Year and new decade with a fresh new look. Check out the brand new 4K Web site at 4Kforcancer.org.

The new site is a one-stop shop of all the 4K information you could ever need or want. In addition to the latest news, you’ll find details on the routes, photos, videos and much more.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions on how we can make the site even better. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

In the meantime, be sure to bookmark the new site and share it with your family and friends.

With the start of the New Year, we are excited to announce the 2010 4K riders!

The campus team led by Chris Louie has worked hard and selected an amazing group of riders for the 2010 summer.

While some of us were wrapping presents or toasting to the New Year, the riders were already hard at work fundraising and planning the 2010 route.

After reaching our goal by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on August 1, a depression has settled into my life in the now-void where the 4K had been all summer. And once I finally admitted to myself that the trip was over, I was left with a mess of 4,000 miles and 63 days worth of memories. So in the few weeks since the 4K ended, I have spent much of my idle free time sorting through all the emotions and recollections. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20 vision; and in that vein all of the moments of tension or anxiety are fading from my memory and I’m left with only the most wonderful moments.

My favorite stretch of time on the trip was through Nebraska and Colorado, for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: the terrain, the scenery and the residents. The day into Yuma, CO from Benkelman, NE was one of the most enjoyable days on the trip. As we biked the leisurely 68.2 miles I had a moment of clarity about the trip and how what we do each day actually means something to the people we meet along the way.

Just after we crossed the state line, one of the van drivers set up a water stop at the Laird Community Center. Inside were two older women who were cleaning up from the previous day’s party. They explained that this building had once been a one-room country schoolhouse and then expanded over time to become a kindergarten-12th grade school; a school which all their siblings attended and at which one of their husbands taught! They had tons of leftover food which they didn’t know what to do with… until we showed up on their doorstep, that is. The women fed us and chatted with us about their old school and our journey. As they showed us old yearbook pictures from the school, they pointed out their family members who had battled cancer and how personal our cause was to their family and community. They were so touched by what we did, they wanted to know how they could sign up to become hosts for next year’s 4K. We helped them clean up from the reunion and from the mess we made before saying our goodbyes and heading off on our way to Yuma. The rest of the ride was fun, but unremarkable – just the usual biking and chatting amongst my group members. Later that night, the same two women showed up at the First Presbyterian Church in Yuma during our dinner with gifts of hats from their reunion for all of us. They wanted to give back something (as if feeding us hadn’t been enough!) to us for what we were doing, and also to share a memento so we would remember their community.

It seems, as with most events on the 4K, to be serendipity which made our paths cross with these two women. They were unsure what to do with bountiful leftovers and tables to be moved – neither of which they could handle on their own – and it was at that moment that we knocked on their door. Our ride meant something to these women, and they were pleased just to have met us along the way and to share their stories with us. And, for the record, many of us wore the gifted Laird hats on a daily basis for the remainder of the trip!

Reflecting on our summer shortly after crossing the fabled Golden Gate Bridge, it’s apparent that somehow, Time is very different now than it was when we left. In popular conceptions of time, its doubtful that “the times, they are a-changing” in the sweeping, poetic Bob Dylan sense could capture our experience, and while another timeless expression, carpe diem, comes close, it still falls short of the exactitude we look for in describing such a far-reaching experience. Looking back, Time didn’t have a simple categorization; it was different everyday. And as we all know, the same is true with The 4K.

We had days that we wished would last forever, when we hit our stride, had enough peanut butter to feed an army, and found that rare tail-wind that happened to be the perfect fuel for our leg muscles (extra hungry) to destroy those Nebraska rollers without the slightest hesitation or sign that we would have to drop below our cruising speed of 20+ mph.

And then there were the other days. We might just be kind to ourselves here and call these “not so good days,” because none of the positive characteristics were even remotely true. Examples of these days include The 2009 Plague, which affected a total of 25 riders, 22 of which were within a two-day span between Escalante and Bryce Canyon, UT. As many may remember, these are camping days, so as your imagination reaches back to these “happy” memories, try to imagine what this might have been like if you were unable to keep down solid food. Although, the positive side is that the majority of the team would be vomiting with you. Another instance of this kind took us by surprise while we were staying in Michigan City. One rider (nameless) may have suggested that the church was haunted, and after careful exploration of some deep dark hallways, many in the group became scared to the point of hysteria. These were long nights, especially for those who were painfully rational at the time.

But there were triumphs too. In Eureka NV, with little food and days of monotony behind us, we had a BBQ in the local and minimalistic town park, grilling and luxuriating in that lonely pavilion, destroying our misery with friends and sometimes forgotten comrodery. And no one will forget, after riding through the capital of hellfire, Carson City, NV and climbing the Tioga-esque beast-of-burden to California, finally reaching the summit and descending towards a clearer blue pond than the desert sky. Feeling Lake Tahoe (and California) embrace us was even more comforting than the poolside lounge chairs that awaited us that evening. We spent two luxurious days at a resort, not to mention a memorable Pub dinner the night we arrived, which was the beginning of many midnight antics to come.

So it seems, for us, this was our summer: 27 riders turned into 27 grieving friends, all wondering where the summer went, even though, at times, it felt like it lasted an eternity. Yelling “give me the cat,” an obscure movie line-turned 2009 inside joke, as part of our unique morning cheer was nothing unusual; the phrase ‘Bronson Nation’ quickly evolved from a throwaway one-liner to a new spiritual calling. But while the names, faces, and landscape changed, some things stayed the same: what else could we talk about, other than our futures, the nature of God, and the magnificence of the female form, bodily functions? And our butts. How much our butts hurt. A lot.

4K-’09, like every 4K, has its hilarious moments, phenomenal hosts, unforgettable stories, unique experiences, and borderline-insane personalities. Some traditions were carried on, some may have been started; the record books have been updated and the embarrassing stories have already started spreading. Now we have a whole new team that is part of The 4K-Tradition.

- Chris Louie & Tom Hintze, ’09 Directors

On May 30 & 31, roughly ninety supporters joined the Board of Directors in Baltimore, MD for the first annual Alumni Family & Friends Weekend event. Alumni, friends, family and long-time supporters gathered to officially unveil the 4K as an independent non-profit organization and celebrate the success of this eight-year-old organization.

The Weekend dovetailed with the 2009 4K sendoff events, the annual celebration that marks the beginning of the summer ride. The events began with a morning bike ride, roughly 25 miles, followed by a BBQ on the John’s Hopkins Campus where 2009 riders and their families mingled with alumni to hear about past years from those who have gone before them.

The celebration did not end there. The Weekend included a cocktail reception at the Red Maple lounge to honor long-time 4K sponsor, Joe from Joe’s Bike Shop. The event also gave supporters an opportunity to donate to the growth of the organization through ticket purchases and a raffle. Attendees connected with old friends, met new ones and most importantly toasted the 2009 riders as they embarked on their exciting journey.

Overall, the weekend was a big success! One alum even called the it more fun than both his college and high school reunion.

Thank everyone who was able to join us and/or offer a donation! Please stay tuned for exciting details on the 2010 Alumni Weekend events!