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Congratulations and a big thank you to:
Washington, DC top fundraisers
1. Steve Verbanic
2. Frank and Ellen Potepan
LA top fundraisers
1. Steve Peterson
2. Tracy Talley
STEVE VERBANIC
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Top Fundraiser DC
Steve Verbanic has always believed that a positive attitude is a critical part of the fight against cancer. “You have to keep upbeat and fight as hard as you can,” Steve says. “You need the doctors and the treatments but most importantly, you need the attitude.” However, staying positive is not always an easy task. Steve discovered this through his own battle against cancer as well as his experiences with loved ones.
Steve, a 44-year-old computer company executive from Virginia Beach, VA, was diagnosed and treated for a tumor in his right thigh 14 years ago with radiation and chemotherapy. Steve’s nurses and oncologists were so impressed by his cheerful outlook that they asked him to encourage a fellow patient named Bubba. Sadly, when Bubba died a short time later, Steve felt a sense of tremendous loss. Those feelings would resurge again when Steve’s sister Toni was diagnosed with
Hodgkin’s disease only a few years after his own diagnosis. When Toni passed away shortly before his first son Jackson’s birth, Steve was frustrated and tired of the emotional rollercoaster of helping others with cancer.
All of that changed two years ago when Jackson was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of three. “I didn’t have a choice,” Steve said. “I had to believe that we could beat cancer. I got back into the anti-cancer mode and was ready for the battle.” Jackson’s leukemia is currently in remission and the vibrant five-year-old is excited about being back in school.
Having been encouraged by Lance Armstrong’s first book, It’s Not About the Bike, Steve learned about the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ through the Lance Armstrong Foundation web site. Within minutes, he registered for the DC ride and began sending out emails to coworkers, friends, and relatives. As the donations began streaming in, Steve started planning a golf tournament to raise even more money. The tournament was a huge success and 72 golfers attended. “People
are giving me a lot more credit than I deserve,“ Steve says of the fundraising process. “It’s the people who gave the money who deserve most of the credit.” As a result of all of his efforts, Steve’s donations totaled $10,695.00, making him the top fundraiser of the DC event.
Steve and the Verbanic family have many special memories from their experiences at the Tour of Hope grand finale celebration on the Ellipse. “Something we will never forget is Jackson writing out his full name for the first time on a Hope Panel,“ Steve recalls. The Verbanics also treasure meeting the man who inspired them to keep fighting, Lance Armstrong. It was a touching moment for everyone when Lance lifted Jackson up and rubbed his little bald head. As Steve and
Jackson walked off the stage, Jackson shouted “Hold on, Daddy!” Jackson ran back to return Lance’s sunglasses only to discover, much to his and the crowd’s delight, that they were his to keep. Jackson’s spirit and the Tour of Hope have reshaped Steve’s idea of what hope really means. “Looking at the number of people who are focused on fighting cancer gives me hope that there’s going to be a cure,” said Steve. ”Bristol-Myers
Squibb couldn’t have picked a better name for this event. It gave me hope when I had lost all of mine.”
STEVE PETERSON
–
Top Fundraiser LA
In August of 2002, just two months after Steve Peterson’s brother Scott had been diagnosed with head and neck cancer, Scott forwarded him an email about the Cancer Promise and the Tour of Hope. When Steve, a 49-year-old mechanical engineer for a water purification company from Brownsville, OR, read about the local ride in Los Angeles, he instantly knew it was something he wanted to do.
Steve quickly got started on the fundraising aspect of the ride. Just by asking the other members of his family, he raised over $1,000 in Scott’s honor by the end of the day. With his brother’s help, Steve would go on to raise an amazing $17,661.00 by race time.
Steve found the entire experience rewarding in many ways. “Being a part of a large group united for one cause made me realize that cancer is not just a terrible disease, but something that we need to raise awareness and funding for to not only save lives, but to ensure the quality of those lives.” It was also a coping mechanism for the Peterson family to deal with Scott’s diagnosis. Steve’s ride became something tangible that gave Scott and the rest of the
family a reason to rally behind and communicate with one another.
The Tour of Hope was something very natural for Steve and Scott to be a part of since they are both avid cyclists. Steve was glad it was something Scott really appreciated. “Scott was really interested in the Tour of Hope. His treatment had him feeling down, but the ride caused him to pick up with his email communication and really play an active role.”
As a mostly recreational cyclist, the ride itself was a high point for Steve. The kick-off event was filled with exciting moments. “As the riders would peddle furiously, the Tour of Hope volunteers would shout encouragement and ring cowbells, just as they do in the grand cycling tours. As I rode, I wondered how many of these spectators and riders were touched by cancer.” Steve was so enthused during the ride that he rode many of the most challenging hills standing out
of the bike saddle. “It hurt some, but the hurt felt good,“ Steve noted. “I was not even approaching the hurt Scott has been going through.”
The finale of the ride was emotional for Steve. “I was so grateful to be there thinking and praying for Scott that I started to cry a little. I felt joy and worry and exhaustion all at once.” The Tour of Hope is something the entire family will not soon forget, especially as Scott continues his chemotherapy treatments. Steve says that the event was a useful vehicle for getting the message of cancer research out to the masses. As for Scott, he should keep his bike at
the ready after his treatments are completed. Steve notes, “I have challenged Scott to a head to head 40K ride after his recovery. He has not only accepted, but has promised to break me with his new lightweight cancer survivor body!”
FRANK AND ELLEN POTEPAN
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2nd Top Fundraiser DC
As soon as Ellen Potepan received a company email announcing the Bristol-Myers Squibb™ Tour of Hope, she immediately thought of her husband Frank, who is a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor and avid cyclist. For Ellen, a territory business manager with Bristol-Myers Squibb for over 15 years, and Frank, owner of a residential construction and development company, cancer had not only touched a loving husband and father of two sons, but their entire family. Even though Frank, who was
just 31 when diagnosed, had been cancer-free for seven years, the Potepans felt that it was important to participate in the Tour of Hope to do what they could to make things easier for others who are battling cancer. The Glenwood, MD couple decided to go the distance for cancer research together on their bikes.
When Frank was diagnosed, the Potepan’s youngest son Grant was only eight weeks old. “It was like the best thing in our lives followed by the worst thing,” Ellen said. Frank went through radiation and chemotherapy treatments for 9 months before he could face what many cancer survivors find one of the most difficult parts of the disease: learning how to overcome the cancer and lead a full and healthy life. “It took about a year for me to regain the stamina,
energy, and endurance that I once had in both cycling and life,” Frank said.
Now Frank and Ellen are as committed as ever to cancer research. Raising over $10,000 for cancer research through the Lance Armstrong Foundation and riding in the Tour of Hope finale in Washington, DC was another way to strengthen that commitment. The importance of the fight against cancer was even apparent to Grant, now 8, and older brother Tyler, 11. During the closing ceremonies as Ellen and the boys stood amongst the crowd, a woman behind them asked where she could purchase a
Tour of Hope shirt like the one Tyler was wearing. When Ellen responded that they were not for sale, Tyler asked his mother if he could give the woman his shirt. Ellen was moved by her son’s awareness. “For an eleven-year-old to know that you can fight hard against cancer and that it’s worth it means a lot to us. Even at such a young age, they really understand that you need to make a difference.”
The Tour of Hope was also a means for the Potepans to be part of a large community united towards a common goal. Through their fundraising, they had a chance to interact with family, friends, and employers and open up a dialogue about cancer. While on his bike, Frank got a chance to meet riders from all over the country. “These people weren’t strangers,” he said, “You cried with them. You shared stories. It was incredibly motivating to carry the torch for
cancer research.”
The Potepan family continues to raise awareness for cancer research by sharing their experiences with friends and family. Ellen notes that Frank’s cancer has changed their lives in a positive way. “Bristol-Myers Squibb is helping us make an investment in the future by raising awareness for clinical trials. The Tour of Hope was something special to us because we felt like we were doing our part to focus on what’s important to find a cure.”
TRACEY TALLEY
– 2nd Top Fundraiser LA
Imagine going into the hospital for routine surgery for tennis elbow and leaving with a diagnosis of cancer and the prospect of losing your arm.
That’s exactly what happened to 42-year-old Tracey Talley, a health care executive from Tarzana, CA, in April of 2002. During the surgery for his elbow, Tracey’s doctors discovered a hematoma (a mass of clotted blood) which they then removed. This discovery led them to diagnose Tracey with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer of the soft tissue usually found in the legs or arms. Although the cancer would eventually bring his family closer together, it was a difficult
ordeal in the beginning. “I’ll never forget what my mom said: you’ll never know what it’s like to hear the doctor say that your son has cancer,” Tracey said of the initial shock. His strength would be tested again when Tracey’s father would be diagnosed with lung cancer a short time later.
Devastated by the news that his arm would have to be amputated, Tracey decided to take matters into his own hands. Unwilling to accept that amputation was his only option, he did some research on the Internet and talked to friends and oncologists. Through the help of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Michigan, he eventually found Dr. Charles Forscher, a leader in the treatment of synovial sarcoma, who
started Tracey on a treatment regimen of daily chemotherapy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Radiation therapy and surgery overseen by Dr. Frederick Eilber at UCLA Medical Center soon followed. One of his nurses during this treatment was Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ Team member Beth Strauss, who inspired him to keep fighting by telling him all about the ride in an effort to lift his spirits.
It was Beth that encouraged him to participate in the local ride in Los Angeles.
“I am very lucky to have received and continue to receive such great care from so many dedicated and truly incredible professionals. Each and every one of them has opened my eyes to making a difference,” Tracey said of his support system. Because of Tracey’s chemotherapy, he could not do the ride itself and thus enlisted his friend Jerry Clute to ride on his behalf. Tracey then sent a letter to his friends and family describing his experiences and raised $7,549.16
for cancer research. “Over the last few months, my attitude has gone from ‘How did this happen?’ to ‘What can I do to make a difference?’ Participating in the Tour of Hope was my first step in making a difference.”
Although Tracey’s treatment and the ride itself are finished, he is still spreading the word about the importance of cancer research. He talks to other survivors, reads the latest news about cancer, and attends support meetings. Tracey advises anyone touched by cancer to not give up hope and explore all of their options, just as he did. About a month ago, he received a package in the mail from Beth Strauss. It contained a worn piece of vinyl from the back of her bicycle seat
with his name on it.
“I believe there is a reason people come into your life,” Tracey said of the scrap of vinyl that represents his fight against cancer, “All of these little things all come together.” |
