"Giving is Not Just About Making a Donation...It is About Making a Difference"

Dear Family and Friends,

The I Care I Cure Foundation was founded by our sister and brother-in-law, Beth and Brad Besner, (along with their friends and family) in honor of our nephew, Ian, who was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in January, 2006, one week before his 11th birthday. Ian was an extraordinary boy who shared his joy and love of life with everyone who met him. Sadly, Ian lost his battle with cancer just four months after his diagnosis suffering during that time the ravages of chemotherapies that were supposed to save his life. 

Click here to learn more about I Care I Cure

The  I Care I Cure Foundation supports the development of, and raises public awareness about, cutting-edge, targeted therapies for childhood cancer, so that the treatment of childhood cancer will be gentler and more tolerable. By educating the public about scientific breakthroughs in genetic childhood cancer research that are within reach but seriously underfunded, the foundation hopes to quickly raise money to fund research grants and provide seed money to researchers for new studies. 

By sharing with you how close the medical community is to more humane treatment for childhood cancer, we hope that you will want to be part of the effort to fund this ground breaking research so that fewer and fewer children have to suffer as Ian did.

Many of you are aware that Glenn and I created I Care I Cure I Cycle in memory of Ian, to shine a light on childhood cancer and to raise funds for more humane treatment for kids with this insidious disease.  What you might not realize is that Glenn has been participating in rides for charities for many years.  He has done several MS 150 rides and a ride for the Diabetes Foundation but his long distances charity rides began in earnest 17 years ago when he was 50 years old.

In 2000, he took on a huge challenge, riding his bicycle from Seattle to Washington, DC for the American Lung Association.   After completing the ride, he suffered a heart attack and had open heart surgery six months later.  I thought that this would end his long distance cycling but he persevered and did another long ride from San Francisco to LA in 2004 for the Arthritis Foundation.  

After Ian's death, these rides became a passion for both of us.  That is when our life became a personal journey to use Glenn’s love of cycling to honor Ian and to raise funds and awareness for targeted therapies for childhood cancer.

Since 2009, Glenn has cycled the East Coast Greenway from Key West to Maine at the Canadian Border, we traveled from Seattle to San Francisco with Ian's Aunt Laurie and Uncle Jim, Glenn pedaled the route from New Orleans to St. Augustine, FL and last fall we traveled from Phoenix to New Orleans, all for I Care I Cure. I handle the logistics and follow along as our SAG (support and gear) vehicle every mile along the way.

That brings us to today when we will embark on the last chapter of this adventure.  Next month, Glenn will complete the full circle around the perimeter of the continental US, more than 10,000 miles in 17 years all for charities.   We will depart from Phoenix on December 20 and ride to San Diego by December 24 and onto the Santa Monica Pier on December 29.   

Our children and grandsons will join us for the last few miles and we invite anyone who might be in the area to help us celebrate this incredible accomplishment!    If you can't join us but would like to help us honor Ian and fund this cutting edge research, Click here to donate now!

Thank you so very much to all who have already donated for this year's ride and to all who follow this blog for your continued love and support!  It has meant so much to us over the years to know that we had so many people pulling for us, cheering us on and sending their thoughts and good wishes!

Lynn and Glenn

The ride starts 6 weeks from today! 

Let the countdown begin!