When getting back from today’s ride, freezing cold, wet to the bones and dirty and grimy I found an e-mail in my inbox send by one of our Team’s Honorees (someone living with a form of blood cancer) that made me forget about my ride instantly and strengthened my resolve. I would like to share this e-mail with you.

Hi Team,

This is important and I don’t want you to have to stand in the cold trying to hear it.  Saturday when it’s a little cold and maybe there’s a little spritz of rain and you’re wondering why you’re on a bike instead of inside a warm building I’d like you to think about someone– Barbara Thomsen.  She has leukemia. It’s terminal–a matter of days.  

I told her brother the team would keep her, her family, and him in our thoughts and prayers as we ride on Saturday.  If you’ve never had to watch a loved one die I can’t explain the agony.  If you have, you know what this family is going through.

I met her brother in an odd way.  On Wednesday I called customer service at Shurflo, a company in southern CA.  They make a product I need and while discussing it I realized they might also make one I could use for the team.  They do and I was told to send an email request to customer service and maybe I could get a donation. The message would be directed to the appropriate person.

I usually make requests for TNT via personal contact and although I had the email ready to send I just didn’t feel right about it. So I called the company and was directed to the appropriate person, Chris.  We had a 45 second conversation. He asked for info via email and said he’d take care of us. It was no big deal and literally took 45 seconds max. Within an hour Chris emailed me back with the details of what he was going to send us. This was so simple and fast I wondered why I bothered with the call. Twenty minutes later he emailed again.  This time it was to tell me his younger sister was terminal with leukemia and that he may not get back to Minneapolis in time to see her before she died. It’s going to be cold tomorrow, and maybe even a little wet. 

I guarantee you there are tens of thousands of blood cancer victims who wish they could do what you’re going to do tomorrow; families that would crawl the distance on their hands and knees if it would save a loved one.  So, here’s a real person and her brother. He’s doing what he can to help us. Let’s do this tomorrow as a gesture of support for Barbara, her family, and Chris.

In two weeks I’ll have some cards you can sign and a team photo we can send. I thank you in advance.

GO TEAM

To help me fight cancer please visit my web-site and donate to a very worthy cause.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/ambbr11/hbroring


Thanks,
Hartmut