11 August 2005

Dear Friends and family,

Since our trip to Austin last October, cancer has continued to be a presence in our lives. A good friend in Sacramento was diagnosed with a life threatening form of lymphoma as well as leukemia days before we left for Texas last year. After ten rough months of chemotherapy, she is getting stronger every day and will be joining us in Texas for this years ride. Our new neighbor here in Anchorage has been fighting colon cancer for almost a year now and is slowly getting on the road to recovery. It is for these people, and others still fighting, that we will ride again this year.

This is our second year as members of the Peloton Project.  Last year we raised over $2300 for the LAF and in October we rode in the ‘Ride for the Roses’ charity bike ride in Austin, TX.  I ended up heat exhausted at 88 miles, but Carollynn finished her 40 mile ride.  This year our fund raising goal is $2500, and we will be heading to Austin again in October.  For those of you who may not have heard, we moved to Alaska this year and rather than taking a scenic drive across the southwest we’ll be flying down from the great state.  We are taking care of our own logistics, but we need your help to raise money for the fight against cancer.

The 2004 Ride for the Roses weekend was a very educational and inspiring weekend.  We met and rode with several cancer survivors and patients, including one individual who had completed his last chemotherapy treatment just days before the ride, and a 16-year old brain-cancer survivor who completed the entire ride.  Over 7,000 riders participated in the ride weekend events, and over 8,500 Peloton Project members raised over $5 million for the LAF last year. 

We learned a great deal about cancer and cancer survivorship during the ride weekend.  In the United States alone it is estimated that there are more than 10 million cancer survivors, and it is estimated that half of those diagnosed this year will live their normal life span.  In 2005 it is anticipated that more than 1.2 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed.  In January 2005, the American Cancer Society announced that for the first time cancer has surpassed heart disease as the number one killer of Americans under 85.  More than one out of every three Americans will eventually be afflicted by one of the more than 200 types of cancer - that’s one in every two men and one in every three women. The odds of cancer affecting you or a loved one are not that improbable.  We have relatives, close friends and co-workers who have been cancer victims.

The LAF is working to identify and improve cancer survivor services and facilitate the delivery of those services—and a large dose of hope—to the patients, their families, and other loved ones touched by this disease. The money you donate to the Peloton Project will help the LAF continue to aid those affected by cancer through programs, advocacy, research and survivorship support. 

We are asking you to join us as we help the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s efforts to improve the lives of cancer survivors.  This year we are sending letters to literally everyone we know (and even a few people that we don’t) asking for your support of the Peloton Project.  It is rare to meet anyone who has not been impacted by cancer, either directly or indirectly.  We’re certain that you know at least one person who has been diagnosed with some form of cancer, and chances are that you know several cancer victims.  Each one of those individuals has likely benefited from public health programs and cancer research programs, which along with education and advocacy are the four primary focuses of the LAF.  Those individuals, along with over 10 million other Americans, need your help…and that is why we are asking for your support.  Please find it in your heart to make a generous donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  You will receive our personal thanks and appreciation while enhancing the quality of life of others who are living with, through and beyond cancer. LIVE STRONG!

Ken and Carol Fitzgerald