Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 7, 2006

Montrose, CO
First and foremost, thank you so much to all the generous families who hosted us in Paonia. After a long and hot day of biking, a real bed with pillows felt amazing! Also, thank you for sharing your stories about loved ones who have battled cancer. There was one gentleman who read a very moving poem by his wife who passed away from cancer last year. Her poem was very inspirational because it reflected the hope, strength, and courage she had despite her condition. I want to let him know that we will keep both him and his wife in our thoughts as we continue our journey.

Today, to make things interesting, the directors decided to randomly assign people to teams by having everyone choose a jolly rancher out of a bag. The people with the same flavors got to ride together, and this made me very nervous. I'm often the last person in the last group, and I usually ride with the same people all the time. I was afraid that if I ended up with the faster folks, I would slow them down and annoy them. I was hoping to end up in a less speedy group, but of course, I ended up in a group with four of the strongest and most experienced cyclists on our team - Ryan T., Ryan S., James, and Chris. We named our group "Team Fumi Face Punch," after our fruit punch candy flavor, and for the fact that my face was going to get punched by this group.

Surprisingly, though, I was able to keep up with the boys for most of the day. I pushed myself as hard as I could and realized that my full potential was definitely not being met before this day. I was also incredibly thankful for the boys in my group. If I fell behind on a hill, one of them always slowed down to bike with me. They gave me advice and made me laugh when I was struggling. And even if they had to wait for me at the top of a hill, they never complained.

After today, I have so much love for each and every one of those boys. Ryan T. is so sweet, and when he smiles, I feel as though everything in the world is going to be OK. There is never a dull moment with Ryan S., who loves to talk and is full of interesting facts, especially about Michigan. James is hilarious - sometimes, it's hard to bike with him on hills because he makes me laugh so much so that it's hard for me to breathe. And Chris is like the older brother I never had. He makes fun of me all the time, but his sarcasm and sense of humor is much appreciated during a long stretch of boring scenery. After today, I'm motivated to push myself harder and to ride with everyone on the team before this trip is over.

Today made me realize the importance of family. For me, the 4K family keeps me from giving up, helps me in times of need, and makes me laugh when times are tough. I think that this kind of support is similar to the support that cancer patients need while battling the disease. Of course, the struggles I have while I am on this bike trip doesn't compare to the suffering of cancer patients, but when the going gets tough, friendly and familiar faces help so much! Thanks guys!

Until next time!
Fumi