Back on the bike!
Recently, Seas It had the pleasure of working with Kathy, a breast and lung cancer patient and overall badass, who used her Seas It grant to get back out on the trails and start exercising again in the fresh open air of North Carolina. With help from our good friends at The Peddler in Long Branch, NJ we were able to get Kathy an awesome Specialized Cyclocross Bike.
Below, Kathy has shared her thoughts on the bike and her recovery experiences thus far. Thanks for providing us all with some much needed inspiration, Kathy, and keep fighting the good fight!
“The bike is amazing. It is light, quick and tough enough for the terrain. I can shift way down for hills and make it up them. It makes all the difference. It is an amazingly beautiful time of year to ride. Here in the south, the fall colors are at their peak and temperatures range from 50-70 degrees. As a single mom, I have given up so much and then when the cancer hit twice (breast and lung…two primaries..and then the breast metastasized) it was/is like an endurance test of faith, hope and community (my family and friends who come to doctors appointments with me and hope and fear as much as I do). I don’t have to tell you about the emotional and physical toll (not to mention financial) of surgeries, drugs, and test results. Taking this bike into the woods, riding the trail, I truly can leave things behind or cry and feel completely embraced by the beauty that surrounds me. I also love the thrill of the ride and physical challenge of making it up a steep knotted trail without stopping or falling off (which I do quite a bit in the sand!). The other great aspect of this bike is that I can use it as a road bike and they have weekly rides from 10-40 miles on Sundays and meet up afterwords at a pub. I am excited to meet a whole other group of people. This is something that is all mine that I LOVE: no sacrifices, no pain (except the good kind when you push your muscles to fatigue) just joy. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for having the vision, insight and follow through to make Seasit! a reality. This bike gives me so much…the great outdoors, a new community, physical strength and endurance and the feeling of accomplishment.”
Thanks again, Kathy! We can’t wait to hear more about your incredible journey.