With Andy Gordon (2012):
With Andy Fredman (2010):
For the past 5 years (n1), I’ve ridden in the somewhat (n2)
self-importantly named America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR) around Lake
Tahoe. It’s a great century ride—well supported, the Lake Tahoe region is
incredibly beautiful, the route is a circle around the lake and you finish
where you started with no long boring bus ride back to your car, and the last
20 miles are the prettiest of the ride and, most importantly, almost entirely
downhill.
Each year, I’ve done the ride as a mere participant, but
each year I have hung around with Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in
Training groups, both from Phoenix and from Westchester-Hudson Valley, New
York. I’ve been a TnT lurker, but never a participant, even though I
probably should have. I’ve got two people in my life with blood cancers,
my law partner Andy Gordon and my step-brother (n3) Andy Fredman. Both
are in remission; both have ridden AMBBR multiple times; and both are huge LLS
fundraisers and machers (n4). This year is Andy Fredman’s 10th
consecutive AMBBR, and Andy Gordon is now on the board of directors of LLS here
in Phoenix, so I signed up to be a Lymphomaniac, Andy F.’s national fundraising
team (n5).
If you could treat and cure blood cancers through pep
rallies and almost cult-like behavior, TnT would have the diseases
licked. However, actual medical research requires actual financial
support, which is where you come in. This email list usually involves a
political event, but today I’m asking for a charitable contribution to help
those with blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. I know
from both Andys how treatments they got simply didn’t exist a couple of years
ago, and if either cancer recurs, we’ve got to have something new to throw at
it. So please, contribute. Go to my fundraising page here. As you’d expect, LLS takes all the usual charge cards (even
Discover). If you want to write a check for some reason, let me know (or
just mail it to me at the office address, email me for it).
It’s not that big a deal to do AMBBR; I’ve never been
bothered much by the altitude, and the ride itself is actually at lot of fun;
if you’re a cyclist, you should consider doing it. For me, however, the
real challenge will be to raise at least $3,600 to help cure blood
cancers. Thanks for considering a contribution, and please consider
violating my own rule about never giving in response to a mere email because,
first, the contribution is tax-deductible, and second, if you don’t give now,
then I will call you.
Thanks—and let me know if you have any questions.
Footnotes:
1: Definitely 5 years—that’s how many long-sleeve t-shirts
from past AMBBRs that I have, I just counted. Especially as there are
maybe 6 days a year when a long-sleeve t-shirt is comfortable in Phoenix.
2: Somewhat?
3: Actually, my deceased father’s second wife’s divorced
third husband’s son. In my world, that’s family.
4: “Big deals” for you non-Yiddish speakers.
5: You should have seen the team names that were rejected,
OK?
