Charity riders push through Polson
Megan Strickland
Shelby Perkins, Jackie Weiss, and Jess King rejoice as they begin to drift down Polson Hill.
Megan Strickland
Riders meet up with the support van outside of Ronan.
Megan Strickland
Calf art tells who the riders are pedaling for.
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
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POLSON – The blue clad riders spread out their arms in triumph and flashed a smile as they drifted down Polson Hill, finally catching a glimpse of Flathead Lake nestling up against the city where they would rest for the night at a local church.
The hopeful energy is more than most people could have mustered after beginning the day south of Missoula and pedaling all day long, but the 23 young folks have mastered the art of being good natured.
Members of the nonprofit 4K for Cancer, Inc. rolled into Polson Thursday, as part of a 4,000 mile trek from Baltimore, Maryland to Seattle, Washington to raise funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund, which provides support to young people with cancer. Each rider had to raise $4,500 to embark on the journey.
Every dollar raised goes directly to paying for patient care, with the college-aged riders relying on the kindness of others to ensure they are cared for as four teams take different 70-day routes from Baltimore to Seattle, Portland, San Diego, and San Francisco. A separate 4K for Cancer team is running on foot for 42 days from San Francisco to Baltimore.
“We stay in churches, schools, campgrounds. Everything is donation-based, even our foods,” rider Jess Tallant said of the trip.
The group passing through Polson stayed at the New Life Christian Center, one of many churches, campgrounds, and homes where they rested this summer.
“People say ‘Wow, you guys are kind of insane for doing this,’” Tallant said. “ … Yes, it’s been extremely difficult to make it as far as we have. We’ve climbed a lot of mountains, but in cancer you are climbing a lot of mountains and you know when you’re faced with a mountain that some people don’t necessarily get the choice to not go around it. They have to face it for what it is and go over it. That’s kind of our mentality as we’re crossing the country.”
Most of the riders have their own set of people who have been negatively impacted by the disease. They write the names of the people they are biking for on their calves in marker.
Veteran 4k for Cancer Rider Chey Hillsgrove’s calf had the name “Jake” written on it.
“In my second tour of 4K, I had the pleasure of receiving a pedal pal or a pen-pal of sorts,” Hillsgrove explained in his profile. “His name was Jake. He was a 7-year-old boy (who) had been diagnosed with Gliomatosis Cerebri (tumor in the brain). Never have done anything like having a pedal pal before I got the idea to take something with me to remind me of Jake and hopefully inspire him to keep fighting. After talking with his mom I found out that Jake was into super heroes and Pokemon. I decided that I would take a Pikachu (a Pokemon) book bag with me across the US to Portland.”
Hillsgrove took videos and pictures along his route that year and sent them to Jake in hopes of making the child smile. Hillsgrove said he thought about how unfair it was that he was able to bike across the country while the boy lay bed ridden at home.
Jake died while Hillsgrove made the trek.
“His passing nearly crushed my spirit,” Hillsgrove wrote about the event. “I was so mad at the world. I was mad at myself for being powerless. I was angry that I couldn’t take his place. I was angry that he had endured what no person, especially a young child, ever should. But nonetheless, I had to keep going in his honor. Just two days after his passing, I raised Pikachu and my bike towards the sky at the Pacific Ocean. Knowing Jake’s story has greatly impacted my life. I am thankful for him and I hope one day I am able to share my gratitude with him.”
The name written on Hillsgrove’s other calf is one that many of his team members also carry. “Jamie” is in honor of 24-year-old Jamie Roberts, a member of the Portland-bound team who died June 13 when a truck outside of Louisville, Kentucky collided with her and another cyclist as they were changing a tire.
The 24-year old graduate of St. Mary’s College said in her team profile that she was inspired to ride after seeing a college friend’s parents tackle cancer. Her grandfather had died of the disease a decade earlier.
“I hope that through my fundraising and the ride itself that I can help raise awareness and make a difference in someone’s life,” Roberts wrote on her profile. “I would love nothing more than to inspire someone else in the same way that I was inspired by witnessing the 4K finish in person.”
The team considered canceling the ride, but with Roberts’ family’s blessing, continued the trip.
Sometimes it is hard for the team members to remember that they are inspiring people, like Roberts wanted to, but according to team member Tallant there are moments when it is clear they have made a difference. Tallant said she felt as though the group had inspired people in Hamilton, Montana when an entire church parish came out and cooked dinner for the team.
“It was unbelievable,” Tallant said. “I think in that moment we realized that we are making a difference. It just doesn’t feel like much when you are on a bicycle pedaling every day to different locations … It’s amazing to see what an impact you make on them, but it’s even great to see what an impact they have on you.”
To learn more about the 4K for Cancer effort or to make donations, visit www.4kforcancer.org/.
