‘I wouldn’t be here . . . without the research they do.’
Inspired cyclists raise the bar
About 6,500 cyclists set a fundraising record Saturday in the Ride for Roswell.
They all had their own reasons.
Amy Jo Parker, 45, rode 30 miles for her mom, a Hodgkin’s disease survivor.
T. J. Hirsch, 27, rode 33 miles for his sister, Jacquie Hirsch, who died of leukemia in 2007.
And Bill McLaughlin, 80, who woke up to take a 12-mile route at 6:30 a. m., rode for himself. Doctors diagnosed McLaughlin, a resident of Buffalo for 53 years, with advanced prostate cancer 14 years ago, and he has ridden every year since.
He said he’s now been told he has months to live.
“I’m here to make a statement,” said McLaughlin, a former rider in the Empire State Games. “I think this is my last ride . . . I wouldn’t be here, nor would hundreds of others, without the research they do.”
Police estimated the 14th installment of the annual fundraiser for Roswell Park Cancer Institute brought 12,000 people to the Lake LaSalle waterfront at the University at Buffalo North Campus. Bikers with tour-ready 10 speeds and racing jerseys rode alongside 8-year-olds on BMX bikes and grandparents on three-wheelers.
As of 1 p. m., organizers put the fundraising total at $2.2 million, a number that will likely go up when cash and check donations are counted in the coming weeks, they said. Last year, the event raised $2.2 million.
The institute treats about 25,000 cancer patients a year on a budget of nearly $500 million, said John Senall, director of development communications at Roswell Park. The center’s fundraising wing, Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, takes in about $16 million a year for research, patient care and recruitment, he said.
Regardless, any jump in donations is a surprise, said Dr. Donald Trump, Roswell Park president and CEO.
“What else in this economy is growing?” Trump said. “It demonstrates the support we have in this community.”
Teams named after deceased parents, spouses still battling cancer and community groups donned homemade T-shirts Saturday and gathered for barbecue as inspirational anthems like “Lean on Me” played. Along the routes, community members cheered on the riders by clanging pots and pans and passing out water bottles.
“We’re the second poorest city in the country,” said Jay Friedman, head of UB Spirit, a group of 190 riders representing the university this year. “But when it comes time to step up, we get it done.”
As the festivities started to wind down Saturday, McLaughlin took the stage to thank the audience for the past 14 years. Afterward, he sat on a bench looking out on Lake La- Salle and smiled with satisfaction.
“The event itself shows the true meaning of Buffalo,” McLaughlin said. “Charity. That’s Buffalo and that’s what makes it such a wonderful town.”
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