Why is Sara Going to Vermont?

My sponsor request letter:

On July 13, I fly to Vermont for a bike tour. At first, this doesn't make much sense. I just got off a cane two months ago, and started bicycling for the first time in over a year last week. It’s true I still have trouble with stairs and my balance is off, but of the survivors of sarcoma in the bones, I’m one of the lucky ones.

My left leg has been altered from limb-salvaging surgery that rid me of disease just a year and half ago. I was 28 and finishing up a yoga teacher training program when I was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma. Because I received an early and accurate diagnosis, and because my cancer was low-grade, I did not have chemotherapy. But most bone cancer survivors live with the effects of more intense chemotherapy than anyone could imagine, as well as surgeries that change their limbs forever.

I am participating in the Team Sarcoma bike tour to represent those rare individuals who have survived sarcoma. Their stories are incredible ones of strength, hope, resilience, and daily struggle long after treatment has ended. I represent survivors who are so much "bigger" than me, those who have taken difficult situations and turned them into good over and over again. Their battle is my battle - one for more support, more medical research, and better treatment options.

I will be bicycling for those who can no longer bike, bicycling for those who can no longer walk, and bicycling for those who are just getting through each day. This ride will be special on another level for me, as I will be bicycling alongside my mom. My mom is also a survivor — of breast cancer, diagnosed two months after my surgery for chondrosarcoma. This will be a ride celebrating not only our year-and-a-half anniversaries as survivors, but, as my cousin Sammie says, thrivers.

How can you help? I need sponsors - those who will make a donation in my name and support me in this effort. 98% of your donation will go to sarcoma research and patients. 98%! My goal is to make $2500, for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. I know it sounds like a lot. The average donation that I need is about $100, but every single donation will help. This money will reach those who face the most intense battles with cancer, and often do so at a young age, feeling very alone.

This is not something I normally do. In fact, I haven’t participated in a sponsored-fundraiser since the AIDS Walk in high school. But your donation to sarcoma research is what so many children and young adults desperately need.

THANK YOU!

Sara

Please click here to donate! To sponsor me, please enter my name, Sara Alan, in the top box. Thanks!