On Saturday, October 8, I’m going to join the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope by participating in a 50-mile fundraising bike ride ending in Washington DC. You can help me in this effort by making a donation to the Tour of Hope to support my ride. One hundred percent of the funds raised during the Tour of Hope Fundraising Ride will benefit cancer research through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. To learn more, visit www.tourofhope.org.
Last year I dedicated my ride to my friend Peter Andreas Frank who died of brain cancer in August 2003. Through the generous support of many friends and readers of Operation Gadget I was able to raise over $2,000. That money was used to fund cancer research and promote awareness of clinical drug trials.
Most of the people that donated to the Tour of Hope last year at my request told me about a friend or relative whose life had been changed by a cancer diagnosis. The stories of their experiences gave me a sense of the scope of the effort required to find cancer cures.
I want to continue to participate in the effort to find cures for the cancers that are not yet beaten. I’m urging adults I meet who have cancer to look into participating in a clinical drug trial. Clinical drug trials have been a key part of the treatment stategy for childhood cancers for many years. This has resulted in a higher overall cure rate for childhood cancers than for cancers striking adults. In spite of this, only five percent of the adults who receive a cancer diagnosis each year take part in clinical drug trials.
Will you please join me in this effort?
All you need to do is click on the big Help Dave ride the Tour of Hope button. You’ll be sent to a page where you can make a tax deductible donation to the Tour of Hope by credit card. Instructions are also there for making a donation by check.
Thanks for your help. I’ll be talking about the 2005 Tour of Hope here on Operation Gadget, including my training for the 50-mile ride and the experience of riding with Lance Armstrong on October 8. I hope you’ll come back from time to time and check on our progress.
You can also see some of the photos that my family and I took at last year’s Tour of Hope Finale in the Operation Gadget Photo Gallery.
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