A boy, his bike(s), and a return to normalcy…

Emily, an amazing Mom and cancer caregiver, has written a beautiful testimonial below. Thank you, Emily for your kind words and for sharing Graham’s story and journey with us.

Graham was a Red Sox loving, dog crazy, mountain hiking fourth grader when he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer, at age ten. Treatment was grueling and involved multiple surgeries, radiation for six weeks, and then months of chemotherapy. Every moment of every day felt medical and hard. Nothing felt normal. A few things helped: therapy dogs, a wonderful circle of community, and glimmers of hope. One of those moments of hope came from engaging with Seas It. They asked him, “what do you need to have fun?” He dreamed of a bike. That bike appeared, literally during a long day at Dana Farber. Amanda from Seas It attached a bike rack and the bike to back of our car. She spent time with Graham and handed him his helmet. It took a while to be able to have the strength and balance to ride. But the hope that came with the bike was like a promise: you will be a boy again. Your days will be full of adventure and fun not just lab draws and chemotherapy and blood transfusion.

Graham’s bike arrived the summer he was eleven. By fall treatment was ending and the cold of New England winter set in. But in the spring, he was riding. And all that time it was a talisman of normalcy. (Ironically, Graham and one of his pups collided the summer he was twelve while he was pedaling. He got a normal kid trip to the er for a few stitches. There was some good laughter at having a normal kid need for health care.)

At age 14 and in eighth grade, Seas It helped Graham again. Now almost three and a half years post treatment much of life felt normal - well as normal as life was feeling for anyone in a global pandemic. Graham remains “ned” (no evidence of disease) yet has many of the common late effects of the forceful radiation and chemotherapy used to eliminate his cancer. Fatigue and delayed processing speeds are common. Graham got enrolled in a study through the National Institute of Health that promotes physical activity. He was challenged and encouraged to set increasingly long sessions of vigorous activity. Two things collided. 1. Graham was going to need a bike for his upcoming eighth grade trip to Nantucket. 2. Graham was asked to set an activity goal and strive for it over the twelve weeks of his study. He chose a big goal. He wanted to join his Uncles in an annual ish, well supported swim from Cape Cod to Martha’s Vineyard. Our family reached out to Seas It to see if they would make a contribution towards Graham’s bike which he would need for his trip and for his training. Seas It shocked us by saying they could help with the entire funding for a bike. Again, the Seas It bike arrived- this time in a box on our door step. Graham got to be a big part of assembling it. And again, the bike was a big part of doing normal teen stuff. Graham boarded the ferry for Nantucket with his class on his fifteenth birthday. For five days, they biked that island. At home Graham used his bike to get to and from some swim practices. And on July 18 (an auspicious day for Seas It) Graham swam the 5.3 miles from Nobska Light House near Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard.

Seas It has helped Graham along his journey to remember that he is an active, adventurous soul and not a cancer patient. Sometimes it was just the reminder that the bike was in the garage like an invitation. And more recently, the bike was part of his training and his tools to have a goal of fun and physical challenge. Thank you!