During the month of September, I'll once again be taking part in the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money to fight kids' cancer! Why am I doing it? My friend talked me into it a few years ago because she knew I loved to bike & that I also liked to help others. Over the last two years it has become more personal.

Jacen is an 11 yr old boy who lives on our block. In Nov. 2021 he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic (ALL) Leukemia with a ph+ mutation & the Icarus mutation. What is that, & what does it mean? It means Jacen has two mutations at the chromosome level that make this cancer rare & unique in kids.

Since his diagnosis he has been going through some challenges that a kid his age shouldn't have to deal with. This includes long hospital stays away from his family and friends, several not so fun rounds of chemo, spinal taps, & feeling just plain crummy for days on end. Currently Jacen looks like an active/healthy 11 year old boy, which makes me smile every time I see him, but that's because of his regular checkups and chemo being injecting into his spine every month. Up until the 1980s anyone having the pH+ mutation (like Jacen) only had a 30% chance of survival but because of further studies done over the last 7-10 years, & learning that by penetrating the spinal cord & getting the meds into the spinal fluid, where Jacen's cancer cells were multiplying, it's making a big difference & survival rates are improving because of it. Update..Jacen completed his spinal treatments on July 11 & is doing well. 👍🤗👍

Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.

I'm raising funds through my challenge to help Jacen & all of the other kids currently living with cancer. Please support Children's Cancer Research Fund to allow them to continue their work to develop lifesaving treatments & find a cure for childhood cancer & support me by making a donation to give these kids the brighter futures they deserve.

Your support will change little lives.

Thank you.