Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 25, 2005

Franklin, NE
This morning, after a well-rested night at the Presbyterian Church of Superior, NE, we were greeted by a very nutritious breakfast prepared with love and care by the church community. We presented Pastor Mark with a thank you card together with a group photo, which he promised to include in the church bulletin. At our morning meeting, we dedicated today's ride to Travis' mother, Gail Snow, who is a breast cancer survivor. Two years ago, she discovered that she had a lump in her breast upon following the advice given on a self-test kit distributed by the American Cancer Society, and received chemotherapy and radiation treatment in 2003 when Travis and his brother Eric were doing the second Hopkins 4K for Cancer. At the end of the ride, she surprised them by flying into San Francisco and greeting them as they were riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. To this date, she remains one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the 4K, and she is just like a mother to all of the riders.

Just before we were due to set off for Franklin, it started pouring, which took us by surprise as we have always been blessed by sunny weather up till this point. Some of us decided to take a short nap to wait out the storm, but as luck would have it, as soon as we hit the couches, the rain subsided. When Sam, Jessica Lee, Amir and I finally hit the road under slightly overcast conditions, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a tailwind. Yesterday, one of the locals had just told us that Nebraska only experiences east winds when there is a storm, and I guess we must have been lucky It was extremely refreshing to be able to enjoy the ride in the knowledge that we will be arriving in town in good time. The purring of bicycle chains rolling through well-oiled gears, the melodious chirping of birds darting in and out of wheat fields and the incessant screeching of the insects hiding within the blades of grass all combined to create a beautiful symphony to make today’s ride more enjoyable. At one of our water breaks in Riverton, we also stumbled upon a dilapidated and abandoned jailhouse, which was quite an unusual sight.

We arrived in Franklin at around 1.30 pm, and since this was supposed to be the site of our third mail-drop, we were extremely thrilled at the prospect of receiving more letters and care packages from family and friends. Most of us received snacks and candy that we had been craving for a long time. I received a belated birthday card and a Japanese good luck charm from Yanling, my best friend back in Singapore, as well as a card from Jacinta, a high school friend whom I have not heard from in ages. There was also quite a lot of unexpected mail, which came as a pleasant surprise to all the riders. Karen Seaberry, the manager at the Baltimore Hope Lodge wrote us a second letter telling us that we have encouraged patients and caregivers beyond their beliefs. I also received a letter from Betty Ann and Bill Fitipkowski, who are current residents at the Hope Lodge, and it was truly touching to see the influence that we have had. All of us also received handmade cards carefully crafted by the children in Steve’s mum’s second grade class. I received a card from a child called David, who wrote “Go Weijie! You can do it!” on the front, and “Dear Weijie, I hope you and the other riders make it to San Francisco.” David also drew a picture of a cyclist riding up an almost vertical cliff face on the card. After nearly four weeks of being on the road, it is things like these that bring a smile to your face. Do keep all the mail coming in–they will be pivotal in helping us over the Rockies!

To cool off in the hot afternoon summer heat, we then proceeded to the swimming pool in town, which was our third one in as many days. When we get off our bicycles, we like to practice our diving routines on the many diving boards that we find at these pools. However, try as we may, we are still not very graceful and we never cease to be amazed by all the somersaults that the little children do. It almost seems that they have no fear at all! We also played a brief game of water basketball with some of the children at the swimming pool.

After showering at the swimming pool, we headed back to the First United Methodist Church, where a sumptuous dinner was waiting for us. This church has been hosting us since our first trek across the country, and it was wonderful to see them again. It was also extremely heartening to see that the church community has been actively tracking our progress throughout the nation by using push-pins to mark out the towns that we have passed through, with a different color for each state. After Pastor Neil said grace for us, we tucked into dinner, which was extremely delicious. It was apparent that each meal was prepared with tender loving care. Following the meal, we walked to the local school to participate in the Relay for Life for Franklin County, which was specially organized to coincide with the arrival of the Hopkins 4K for Cancer in Franklin. On top of joining the survivors in a lap around the field, Nisha and Cheng also delivered a cancer awareness presentation, showing some pictures of our trip in the process. At the end of the presentation, we gave a standing ovation to all the participants at the Relay for Life as a salute to the courage, determination and perseverance they have exemplified in their combat against cancer.

Together with other cancer patients around the world, you are the people that we ride for everyday, and we are truly inspired by your strong spirits in the face of this disease. There are no mountains high enough and no winds strong enough to stop us from bringing your stories of hope and survivorship across the country with us. You are constantly in our thoughts as we ride everyday. To the people of Franklin and our gracious hosts at the First United Methodist Church, we cannot thank you enough for the warm hospitality that you have shown us over the last few years. We hope to see you again next year!

--Weijie Zhang