Nate Wineland
Nate is a senior studying Marketing at Susquehanna University. In the summer of 2011 he is riding with a group of college students on a 70 day, 4000 mile bike ride from Baltimore to Portland. Money raised by our riders goes to support 4K for Cancer's mission of spreading awareness, fostering hope and uniting communities across the county in the fight against cancer. We do this through cancer education programs, health screenings and by visiting cancer patients at hospitals, cancer centers and hospices each day during the ride. 4K also gives financial support to local, cancer centric non-profits in the communities we bike through.
This summer I will be riding 4,000 miles across the country from Baltimore to Portland with a group of about 30 of my peers. I first learned about 4K for Cancer when cancer seemed to be surrounding my life. My neighbor had lost a long fight with cancer, my coach was just recovering from his fight with cancer, and my grandmother was just diagnosed with the early signs of blood cancer. All these events made me especially eager to do something to show my support. “4K for Cancer” came at just the right time – and is my response.
Biking across the country may not seem like the best or most effective way to raise money and awareness about cancer screening and prevention, but I feel that it will give me an opportunity to connect on a grassroots level with multiple communities and inspire hope and spread awareness in them. More than half of cervical cancers, colorectal cancers, and one third of breast cancers in the United States are diagnosed only in the late stages – but these cancers can be treated if diagnosed early. This is why the education our group will be providing across the United States is so important. We will be stopping at community centers, churches, hospitals, and various other locations, talking with cancer patients and listening to their individual fights with cancer and learning from their experiences, while also teaching others how to recognize the first signs of cancer.
I will be dedicating my ride to my track coach Marty, who has pushed me to excel, supported me in my endeavors, and has never given up on me; to my late neighbor and friend Earl, to whom I looked up to like a father and who offered me support and guidance throughout my life; to my grandmother who has shown a never-ending love for me; and to numerous other friends and all cancer victims. Although there are many things that scare me about embarking on a 4,000-mile bike ride, these people have been an inspiration in my life, and their stories and their fights with cancer will inspire me throughout this trip. Any donation you can give to support me and the organizations we encounter along the way will be greatly appreciated and will only further inspire me throughout my trip.
