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192 Miles Closer to a Cure

Well, I did it! I rode the entire Pan Mass Challenge, the 192 mile bikeathon to cure cancer, from Sturbridge MA (where Rt. 84 meets the Mass Pike at the top of Connecticut), over the Bourne Bridge, to Provincetown at the very end of Cape Cod. I finished respectably in the middle of the pack. It’s simply an amazing experience, and I want to share it with you. I also want to let you know how much I appreciate your support.

The innovative research and studies of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have produced proven results–extending lives by years or decades for many children, parents, and loved ones who wouldn’t otherwise be here today. It’s an incredibly emotional experience to do the ride. I met so many adults and children whose lives have been saved thanks to the research at Dana-Farber and the support of the Jimmy Fund. It makes you keenly aware of the sweetness that is available in life. Not only are you moved and engaged by the spirit and generosity of everyone who is part of it, but all along the road are people thanking you and little kids holding up signs saying “I am 11 years old thanks to you.”

The event itself is like a real life Survivor “reality” TV show except that it’s for real. The mission of finding the cure for cancers is real, the 192 miles of cycling is real, it’s done in real time, and it’s live. You’re constantly scrambling to stay on top of all the logistics–where is the food, the water, where is your stuff supposed to be, where are you sleeping, do you have all your bike stuff together–it’s a real adventure.

I have included two links for you below to two 3-minute videos. Invest the time, it’s worth it. You can actually see and feel the heart in everyone’s eyes. The cheering families, older people, and children by the side of the road have all been affected by the loss and suffering of loved ones because of cancer. Many of them, and many of the 5,000 cyclists and 2,500 volunteers, are survivors of cancer who are still alive because of research work that has been done through the funds provided by the Pan Mass Challenge (which is now in its 29th year).

It’s clear that with enough money, the number of research initiatives can be accelerated and the cures for numerous types of cancer can be found more quickly. Meanwhile, the Federal government has cut back. There are many successful paths now known but they need to be applied and tested with each variant of cancer. It’s that simple–it takes money to do these research “cycles,” the more money, the faster these effective treatments and protocols can be found and brought into wider use to save the lives of ourselves and people dear to us.

Your donations will continue to be accepted for the next month at this secure credit card link: https://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=RR0088 . Please go there and give what you can to this superb cause.

These links below will give you a taste of the ride and the spirit from two participants:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6013569909118344625&q=pan+mass+challenge&total=41&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=8

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2216275061682166226&q=pan+mass+challenge

Cycling

The other weekend, I rode 68 miles in the hills of Southwest Connecticut, in 95 degree heat, training for the Pan-Mass challenge. Then I went and rode another 30+ miles on Sunday, also in 95 degree heat and high humidity. It’s all for a good cause, and on Saturday, August 2, I will be riding 110 miles, on the first leg of the Pan-Mass Challenge.

Before getting involved in cycling to train for this charity bikeathon, I had not had a bike of my own since high school. And while my friends and I used to enjoy riding into downtown White Plains when we were 15 and 16 (before we got our drivers licenses) I was never drawn to cycling, even in the gym, as an adult occupation. Now, I’m hooked on it. I bought a 21-speed road cycle, and had it fitted for me. Believe me, you can spend a lot more money than I did, and have a lot more fancy fittings and so forth. I have come to really love my bike, which is made under the brand BLUE. It is light-weight, and has this very unusual combination of stiffness and flexibility, due to carbon fiber. This means it takes bumps pretty well, which is rather appreciated by the 56-year old frame that rides it.

I have found cycling to be a remarkable form of exercise, combined with the exhilirating feeling of wind on your face, and the rigor of pushing yourself to climb up the many hills and inclines where I have been training, in the northern reaches of Fairfield County, Connecticut. This part of Connecticut is often called the ridges, because glacial ridges rise from the low lands of the beach area near Long Island Sound, and continue sloping upward to a peak near Danbury, Connecticut. This means that there is a solid 20-25 miles of climbing available, with a return that is primarily downhill, with some variations. The trainers at Tri-Cycle in Westport are intent on training us for the two area bikeathons that coming up, the Connecticut Challenge and the Pan-Mass Challenge. Connecticut is the newer entrant, having its fourth year this year. The Pan-Mass Challenge is having its 28th year, and has raised over 200 million dollars for cancer. It is the largest single athletic fundraising event for charity in the US.

But enough of that. What I want to emphasize in this entry is that cycling is a fantastick way of staying fit and conditioned for Baby Boomers. It is aerobic, low impact, strength building, upper body building (who’d have thunk that?), and endlessly interesting in both scenery and the experience of nature. It is a sport that you conduct yourself, which lends itself also to engaging with others. In the near future, I will be doing interviews with some leading figures in advocating the sport of cycling. These interviews will be posted in audio form on the Baby Boomers Retirement website (www.mybbrc.com)

Pan-Mass Challenge bikeathon

You may already know that I am signed up for and have been training for the 192 mile Pan-Mass challenge bikeathon, which is taking place August 2-3, from Sturbridge, Mass, to Provincetown, Mass on the very tip of Cape Cod. This is a charity bikeathon to benefit the very innovative cancer research taking place at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, which sponsors the Jimmy Fund. I was brought into this kind of cycling by my old friend Paul Schaye, who was diagnosed not long ago with stomach cancer. He had been riding in this charity fundraising event for nine years prior to receiving this diagnosis. That just tells you that cancer can hit anyone, at any time, without warning, without apparent cause, and without a lot of hope. But because of the miracles being uncovered at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and other research across the country, much of it funded by private contributions because of cutbacks by the federal government, more people are able to live longer with cancers of various kinds, and more are able to recover fully or have long-term remissions of the disease. These are very exciting times for cancer research. I am going to share with you here the full letter that I have sent to many close friends and colleagues about this phoenomenal effort. Please read it and please join the battle if you are able to do so.

Radio is Great!

I’ve enjoyed two very different radio interview experiences recently, with a lot more to come. First, I did the Bonnie! Show at 6:30 PM one Friday evening, a one-half hour interview with Ms. Bonnie Graham. Bonnie is a very charming and sympatico Baby Boomer, with a great deal of interest in the topic of how Baby Boomers can save enough to last for the rest of their lives. We had a great interview, and Bonnie later emailed me, “You’re a real pro on radio!,” which was very flattering. As some of you know, I was a radio DJ in college, and still love the medium of radio, so it’s always a pleasure to share the experience with someone like Bonnie.

Later that evening, I recieved a call from ABC Radio News, who were doing a story about the meltdown of Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. They wanted to hear my thoughts about the potential impact on homeowners and homebuyers, as well as the cost and availability of financing for home purchases. I gave them my perspectives, and was interested to see similar thoughts in the following days from various pundits, even though my response was very spur-of-the moment and I had not been researching the subject at all. My quotes probably were heard around the country over that weekend, and ABC suggested they would like more input of the same kind on various other subjects. Stay tuned: We’re going to be doing a teleseminar on the top ten tips for avoiding foreclosure, the top ten tips if you are in foreclosure, and the top ten tips if you are thinking of buying a foreclosure, co-sponsored by the American Homeowners Association (AHA) and the Baby Boomers Retirement Club (BBRC), along with the Douglin Group of Washington, D.C. who are experts on these subjects.

Today I want to pass along to you something for the spirit

Give this heart to everyone you don’t want to lose in ‘08 including me if you care.

If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn’t oversleep.

Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends…. B1.
Continue reading Today I want to pass along to you something for the spirit…

Another Medical “Watch Out”

Here’s a scary thing–my father was in the passenger seat being driven home from an event by his caregiver, and he suddenly started to appear to be having a stroke. He turned blue, his eyes were rolling back, the whole thing. She totally freaked out (understandably), called me in a terrible panic, and rushed him to the Emergency Room. Continue reading Another Medical “Watch Out”…

What A Busy Month

It’s been a wild ride since my last post because the release of the Baby Boomers’ Hidden Secret Formula Exposed and our special one day launch offer of the BBRC Platinum Membership on May 15 has really kept us hopping (my bad–and I hate that expression, but sometimes it’s just the truth). Continue reading What A Busy Month…

The Baby Boomers Are In Trouble: And Why You Should Be Worried About It – (Part 2)

Baby Boomers are right now facing a world that’s unlike anything we’ve ever conceived of. It’s a world profoundly different than it was even six months ago. We are right smack in the middle of a perfect storm, the likes of which no generation (and certainly no American generation of almost 80 million people) has ever had to face before. Here’s a taste of what we’re shortly going to be up against (if we’re not there already), and some ideas of what we can do about it. Continue reading The Baby Boomers Are In Trouble: And Why You Should Be Worried About It – (Part 2)…

Why the Baby Boomers are in Trouble - Part 1

Lately I’ve found that whenever I’m reading an article talking about people who are in their 50’s, whatever the issue is they’re facing, my very first reaction is something like this: “Oh, that’s not for me, that’s for folks who are older.”

And that’s fairly weird– ‘cause when I finally get my bearings, I remember I’m just a month away from turning 56! (What??!!)

Sure, I still feel and think very much like a much younger person. When I was in my 20’s, I used to refer to myself as “the Kid,” Continue reading Why the Baby Boomers are in Trouble - Part 1…

Why RR Says Stay Away From The Hospital

Helping you and your loved ones stay alive and stay healthy is a passionate mission for me to bring to members of the Baby Boomers Retirement Club. And I’m not sure why, but I seem to have a fanatical desire to spare other people from all the various unnecessary traumas and suffering that I’ve gone through.

So let me share with you a crusade I’ve been on since my mother died suddenly and unexpectedly at age 79 Continue reading Why RR Says Stay Away From The Hospital…