Tour de Lis » Testimonials

Harold Asher

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:44:14 +0000

Tour de Lis and LiveStrong are a powerful combination of passion and a relentless pursuit of a better day.

Jeff Asher

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:43:03 +0000

The Tour de Lis gives the whole New Orleans community – and friends and family from around the country – a reason to come together and to be all about survival.

Jessica Deutsch

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:36:13 +0000

I’ll ride Tour de Lis for my friend who fought for every step she took in her cancer battle. If I ride a thousand loops around the lake I might begin to match her courage. I will ride Tour de Lis to honor her memory. My brother lives with cancer so all of us who love him do, too. He has taken it on with a kind of bravery that you can’t help but find inspiring. He makes us strong. We’ll be proud to ride the Tour de Lis with him.

Doug Thornton

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:35:15 +0000

I normally ride for fun, but I do this for a purpose.

Abby Lipschutz

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:32:06 +0000

We had been married less than three weeks when we entered the oncologists office holding hands and starry-eyed, having just returned days ago from our honeymoon. Battling brain cancer certainly wasn’t what we bargained for in our first year of marriage, but leaning on the strength of our love and friendship, we have been able to take it on with a vengeance. We are partners in this battle and in the survival of each day. At first, we felt quite isolated, from not only our friends, but also from the cancer community as we experienced it. Everyone dealing with cancer appeared to be our parents’ age or older. Where were the young people? And not the pediatric cases, but the young adults? We were just not represented. And because of that we felt alone. It wasn’t until we discovered Planet Cancer that we find a place where we felt understood and comfortable speaking about the issues we were dealing with. We were fortunate to attend the first retreat in the country for young couples facing cancer together, thanks to Planet Cancer. It allowed us to share with other young couples and find a little humor in a scary time. We want Planet Cancer to reach every one in their 20s and 30s battling cancer and we ride in Tour de Lis to help support their unique mission. We are grateful for their mission.

Carol Asher

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:27:40 +0000

Harold and I started Tour de Lis to offer support to our cousin Josh, who at the age of 36 was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. We were angry that such a young man, who we love so deeply, should be inflicted with this devastating disease. This was our way to raise awareness with family and friends that nearly 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with Cancer in the U.S. every year. There is a great lack of resources and support for this age group. We’ll ride Tour de Lis 2008 for my Mom, who I miss every day. We’ll ride for Josh’s fight for survival. We’ll ride for our dear friends and family, thankfully too many to mention, who have survived Cancer and have taught us to take nothing for granted and live every day to its fullest.

Mindy Caplan

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:26:45 +0000

Cancer has touched my life too many times. It is evident that although the patient has the illness, the entire family is affected by the disease. Both my parents as well as more than a few friends have died from cancer. I myself have the markers for a blood cancer and get checked every 6 months. What gives me hope, is that with time and money, dedicated researchers will come up with new and better treatments for the disease. It is imperative that we all do what we can to raise awareness and join forces to eradicate cancer.

Tommy Usdin

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:25:29 +0000

When my mother contracted cancer a number of years ago, we were embarking on a journey that was unfamiliar to all of us. Everybody in the immediate family yearned to provide support that would take her pain and, by some miracle, her sickness away. She had always occupied the nurturing role for all of us. In the end, it did not work out that any of us could give her any more than our full love and devotion. She, for her part, gave us one last point of pride in the way she handled her illness. She exhibited courage and appreciation for all her gifts throughout her life and with no resentment that she had been confronted with the thin reed that seperates us all from sickness and health.

Mickey Allweiss

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:19:47 +0000

I lost my closest childhood friend to cancer when he was only 24. I lost my father when he was still a young man. I think of them often. The Tour de Lis gives me the opportunity to do somehthing I love while both honoring those who lost their fight and hoping that we will play some small part in preventing more losses in the future.

Bill Schwartz

cherrycola — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:18:45 +0000

I took up road cycling for the exercise and for the physical release it provides. Tour de Lis appeals to all level of riders and raises funds for cancer survivor groups. My inspiration for this cause comes from the many close family members, good friends, and acquaintances who have undergone treatment for cancer and are survivors or are now undergoing treatment. Tour de Lis is truly inspirational… you ask people to pledge to support your ride by their financial contribution, and you learn about their family & friends who have had cancer. We hope that through Tour de Lis we can make a difference for those affected by cancer and who need our support.