| My 24 Hours of Booty story all started when I came to work for Barbizon Charlotte last June. Not only was I starting a new job, but I had just moved to the area. Soon after starting work, a co-worker, Paul Strom, mentioned a charity cycling event that is well known here in Charlotte. He described the event as being a 24-hour race in which thousands ride, some as individuals and some as teams. We were told that the ride benefited cancer research, and that it would be a lot of fun if we got a team together to take part. Ah the thought of it all…. a 24 hour bike race, in the middle of the summer, in Charlotte, high humidity, no sleep…sound good so far?
But in an instant, I was hit by the meaning of it all…thousands of people braving the heat and humidity, peddling their guts out for hours and hours, not for themselves, but for others. Some people rode for those in desperate need of a cure. Some rode in memory of those for which a cure was too late. All in all, a giant group of people had made a choice, and that choice was sacrifice for the benefit of others. It was for that reason that I decided I had to participate, and that’s what I did.
Although I’ve not suffered from cancer directly, I have had friends that did. Friends that fought hard, fought long, and lost. My high school math teacher, a man named Mikel Bergman, died of skin cancer at age 31. He left behind a wife and kids. This great man, who turned my education around, fell to this terrible disease. Then there was another friend, Leah McNutt. She was a great friend of our family. So full of life, so full of laughter. She smoked like a chimney, rode a Harley, and made everyone smile. But in the end, cancer took her too.
Sooner or later, we’re all touched by cancer. Someone we know, someone we love, or perhaps even ourselves, we all come in contact with it eventually. For me, riding in the 24 Hours of Booty gives me a chance to fight cancer in the names of those who can’t fight anymore. It also provided me with my own personal challenge to ride as much as I possibly could. I’ve had my own share of health issued over the years. Growing up, I had chronic asthma. Into my mid twenties, the prospect of rigorous physical activity was an impossibility. Since then, I’ve managed to beat the asthma, and I wanted to challenge my endurance. This event has given me that opportunity, as well as busting my butt for others who can’t. So get your bike, grab your shorts, and head to the Booty Loop with us this summer. If you can’t ride, please donate. The fight against cancer is bigger than us all, but if we fight together we can and will beat it. |
