MINT HILL, N.C. — This is the sound of victory: cyclists from all across the country coming together to face the realities of cancer and its impact while still remaining hopeful for a cure.
Mint Hill native Joe Brown knows the cancer journey well after losing his mother to ovarian cancer when he was a child.
Then most recently a close friend and colleague named Christy was also diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer. Thankfully she managed to beat it.
"As christy always says whenever she encounters a problem ‘hey Joe, it’s not cancer.' I try to keep that mindset. she inspires me so much," Brown said.
Now, Brown and over 120 of his colleagues from Bristol Myers Squibb are committing to cycling hundreds of miles as part of Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer.
"This is for the patients," Brown said. "We’re riding for patients like Christy, like my mom, and raising funds and our goal is to raise $1 million dollars to fund cancer research through the V Foundation."
The ride begins in September starting from the west coast to the east coast and will be divided into nine segments.
Brown and his group will cycle the final leg from Pennsylvania to New Jersey in just three days.
"It’s a lot of training, it’s a big commitment and fortunately, I have people that have done this ahead of me, so I have a lot of great coaches and counselors," he said.
Five months of training to help pay it forward in support of those battling a much bigger burden like cancer.
"To just wake up and have my health and go out and actually ride a bike and train hard I’m really grateful for that,” Brown said
If you’re not a rider you can still donate to help out. Bristol Myers Squibb Company will match donations dollar for dollar up to $500,000.
Learn more about how you can donate to the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer journey at www.cancerbikeride.org.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.