When his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, John Fee made it his goal in life to develop her competitive spirit, be her motivator and give her hope that she could survive. And he knew it would be a challenge. For ten years, John’s mother had cared for her sister and her father, both of whom had died of cancer, and her own diagnosis brought back many painful memories.

“I wanted to build mom’s confidence and help her to believe she would make it through and could be the first in her family to survive cancer,” John says.

He visited his mother several times a week during her treatment and spoke with oncology nurses to make sure she was getting the right care. He always stayed positive and tried to keep his mother focused on the future. He encouraged her to be assertive with the disease and stay active throughout her treatment. “Cancer was a competition that stood between Mom and her life of enjoying her husband, children and grandchild,” he says.

John’s mother did survive cancer, and is now approaching her critical fifth year of survival, and is a beacon of hope to all of her family, he says.

His mother’s triumph over cancer – and the deaths of his Aunt Bernadette, Grandpop and Grandmom – inspire John in his job as Associate Director of Oncology Sales Training for Bristol-Myers Squibb. He works with sales representatives to help them understand the pivotal clinical trials, the results behind the oncology medicines that they sell, and how they help treat specific types of tumors and disease.

John previously worked in the company’s primary care division, and moved to the oncology division last year. An eight-year employee of Bristol-Myers Squibb, John sees the oncology division as truly living the company’s mission to extend and enhance human life. “As focused as we are to research new medicines and bring them to market, we’re just as focused to make sure they get to the right patients, so they can benefit,” he says.

For John, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ is the embodiment of the company’s mission and vision, and it has made him and his fellow employees proud. He has raced in cycling events for many years, and is looking forward to doing his share at the head of the pace line across the country.

As a member of the Tour of Hope Team, John plans to share that pride, and the pride he feels for his mother, with people he encounters across the country. He also looks forward to making a difference on behalf of his Aunt Bernadette, Grandpop and Grandmom who may have survived if treatments had advanced more rapidly.