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It’s More Than A Bike Ride ~ T’s Journey

I’d like to introduce you to my ‘little’ girl. I know you’ve read her name before .. it’s Tierney.. but this time out you are actually going to hear directly from my 19 year old “little” girl. She’s undertaking something extraordinary this summer and it’s challenging on many levels. Committing to this takes more than time and physicality.. it takes heart and passion and compassion and guts. Big time.  As you’ll see.. for Tierney, it’s more than a bike ride.

After confirming she didn’t actually have to develop, test, photograph and write a recipe, she agreed to share her mission with you all with this guest post… thanks T and thanks everyone for reading.Here, now, I pass this post over to Tierney.

Hi everyone!  Thanks so much for reading my post, I promise in the next one my mom will get back to the desserts and stuff!  I’d like you all to meet my friend Brent McCreesh:

In 2004, when Brent was just two years old, he was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer.  After undergoing countless operations and treatments at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, among other places, he is now 100% cancer free and living the life of a normal nine year old.

Not everyone is as lucky as Brent, and too many children are still being treated for Neuroblastoma at Dana Farber.  When Brent was first diagnosed, his parents Mike and Dana started TeamBrent, a charity dedicated to fight childhood cancer. Since it’s inception in 2004, TeamBrent has raised over 4.7 million dollars, not including money raised in 2011.

I first met the McCreeshes two summers ago, when I was a camp counselor for their youngest daughter, Kira.  I was shocked when I found out that her older brother Brent, whom I often saw whizzing through the camp, was a cancer survivor. Since then, I have spent countless hours babysitting the McCreeshes, and through taking them to sports practices, having play dates, and eating lots of pizza, I got to know the family really well.  The more I learned about what they went through when Brent was sick, the more I was inspired by the entire family.  The moment I realized the magnitude of Brent’s cancer was when I was looking through old pictures of their trip to Disneyland and Mrs. McCreesh casually asked: “You know this was on Brent’s Make-a-Wish trip, right?” I was shocked.  It’s hard to see Brent sidelined with a cold, let alone think that he was sick enough to be granted a wish from Make-a-Wish.

I have decided to join the McCreeshes in the fight against childhood cancer, and this summer, along with 62 other members of TeamBrentWheels, I will be biking 192 miles across Massachusetts in the Pan- Massachusetts Challenge.  This ride takes place over August 6 and 7, starting in Sturbridge and ending at the end of Cape Cod, in Provincetown. Every cent raised for the Pan-Mass Challenge goes directly to Dana-Farber. TeamBrentWheels has partnered with Dr. Lisa Diller, Clinical Director of Pediatric Oncology, to specifically fight Neuroblastoma.

I’m riding not only for Brent, but also for the many, many children and families that are affected by Neuroblastoma.  I have agreed to raise $4,200; however, I hope to raise much more.  I hope you will support my efforts and donate to my ride so that no other child or family has to go through what Brent and the McCreeshes did– every cent counts in the fight against childhood cancer. As the PMC motto states, with your help, we are closer by the mile.

Please take a look at the link below, which will bring you to my online fundraising page, and feel free to contact my mom with any questions she or I can answer.
http://www.pmc.org/profile/TD0128
Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my food-less post, and thanks to my mom for lending me her blog for a day.
Tierney

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  • Paula
    July 5, 2011 at 10:24 am

    I wish you all the best with your ride and surpassing your fund raising goal. I believe that people come into our lives for certain reasons which we may not be aware of at the time we meet them. I think that you having met Kira as her camp counselor was the very first step in this wonderful journey you are about to embark on for her brother and all other children struggling with this form of cancer.

    • Tierney
      July 5, 2011 at 10:00 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to read the post, Paula. I agree and am so glad I got to know the McCreeshes through Kira!

  • Yuri
    July 5, 2011 at 10:32 am

    You have such a good heart, Tierney. Wish more young people were committed to a good cause, this world needs it. Good luck with your ride and I’ll let everyone know about this. I bet your mom is really proud of you 🙂 *pandahugs*

    • Tierney
      July 5, 2011 at 9:59 pm

      Thanks so much for reading my post and passing it along!

  • Maris(In Good Taste)
    July 5, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    Best of luck with your bike ride. You are a kind compassionate girl and I am sure you make your parents very proud

    • Tierney
      July 5, 2011 at 10:02 pm

      I really appreciate you took the time to read my post, thanks so much!

  • Abby Dodge
    July 6, 2011 at 11:41 am

    What a special thing to do Tierney. Not only am I sure that the kids you’ve met and touched with your heart are grateful and blessed but I can only imagine how proud your parents are of you. You Go Girl!

  • Jamie
    July 9, 2011 at 3:01 am

    Wow this is not only amazing but incredibly generous! It is heartwarming to see that people still give themselves unselfishly for others. Good luck on your journey! As someone who has watched a beloved father and brother both succumb to the same disease for which there is no cure, I no how desperate is the need for funding for research. This is a noble gesture.