Tour de France

David and I are Tour de France junkies. We are going to be TV-dependent for the next 3 weeks...or, as they say, "23 DAYS in JULY."

Have you ever watched the sport? Have you seen the cyclists struggling up the mountains, or flying downhill in a flash of color? Bouncing over cobblestones, sliding in the rain, sprinting to the finish of each stage...every day is exciting. It is one of the most beautiful sights in sports, to see the French countryside at the height of summer, with men on simple machines, powered by their own effort. I hope you will have a chance to see some of it. If you are interested, check the official Tour website.

David and Katie have a cousin (Jim) who used to be a professional cyclist. When our kids were younger, we were greatly inspired by Lance Armstrong's comeback to the sport after he had cancer. Whether you think he is a good guy or not, his books are illuminating and his work on behalf of the cancer community has been fantastic.

We participated in the first LIVESTRONG ride in Portland, OR, in 2005, in memory of our friend and pediatrician Diane Fuquay, M.D., just after her passing, with David and me riding the 10-mile ride, and Gregg and Katie there in support of us. We enjoyed seeing Lance after the ride, along with his friends Eddy Merckx, Jim Ochowicz, George Hincapie and Bob Roll, and helping to raise money, support & awareness for the cancer community. It was a wonderful way to honor Diane, and to work out some of our grief over her passing. One of our Caringbridge cancer-survivor friends, young Johan Lofas, participated in the ride last September.

Katie had me reading Lance's first book to her as she went through her treatment. It encouraged her, I think, because he wrote about his surgery and chemo openly; he had "been there," too, and he survived. We loved watching him race in the Tour. This year, the Tour has a different cast of characters, but it is the same beautiful spectacle to watch.

A Salute to Johan

Two years ago this September, our friend and pediatrician, Diane Fuquay, MD, passed away from breast cancer. She was a brilliant doctor and a very empathetic mother & friend. She could calm even the most nervous new mom, and I know what I am talking about, firsthand!

After her memorial service, our family headed down to Portland, Oregon to participate in the first-ever LIVESTRONG ride to benefit the LIVESTRONG foundation. We are cycling fans, David in particular, and he wanted to ride for the foundation and see Lance Armstrong.


Gregg and Katie joined us in the early-morning cold, and cheered us on as David and I set off with many others for the 10-mile ride (David wanted to do the longer ride, but I have knee issues, and was only willing to go 10 miles). They greeted us when we came in, and we had lunch and a big celebration with the other riders on the NIKE campus. It was very exciting, and we felt great about riding in Diane's memory. I remember sitting together as a family, watching Lance, Eddy Merckx, Bob Roll, George Hincapie and others celebrating the funds raised for the foundation. I also remember crying about Diane's death, right there in the crowd. I can recall the kids' excitement when they passed Bob Roll and George Hincapie on the lawn -- the guys they saw on TV during Le TOUR de FRANCE! David & Katie played catch in the sun, looked at Lance's career memorabilia and had a great time.

Last weekend, another "cancer mom" wrote and sent me this picture of her brave son, Johan (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johanlofas), who is 10 years old (& has already had 2 brain surgeries). Johan decided to ride in the LIVESTRONG ride this year, raise funds to fight cancer, and honor others who have cancer or who have passed away from it (you can see Katie's name on one of the cards behind him). I am so impressed by his maturity and his unselfishness. What a wonderful boy and family.

It's an wild circle, for me, that we rode in Diane's memory 2 years ago, and Johan rode in Katie's memory this year...we had no idea that cancer would hit even closer to home.

So today, I want to salute Johan. He's a great example of how to LIVESTRONG. Bless you, Johan, and your entire family!