POHR 2024 Spotlights: Janet Winston, Cyclist and Cancer Caregiver

Janet with the Winston tandem; Janet and her mom six months before she passed away.

We’re kicking off our 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride spotlights with a first-time rider, Janet Walbroehl Winston, who will be riding with her husband Christopher Winston on a 1999 Cannondale tandem bike, restored and remade especially for this event. 

“My husband had such a great time doing the ride, and I REALLY believe in this cause,” which is why Janet decided to join him for his second year as a Pan Ohio Hope Rider. She’s looking to make new friends, like he has, who share common interests. 

“It takes a lot of communication to ride a tandem, and our 30 years of marriage have been good training for this. I’m the stoker (on the back), so I don’t have to worry about anything except pedaling (and sometimes I might not even do that – just don’t tell my husband!).”

Like so many of us, she has a few close connections to cancer, including a grandfather who passed away before she was born. 

“My father developed colon cancer when I was in high school and dealt with recurrences of cancer over the next 25 years,” she says. “He died of metastatic brain cancer in 2012. My mom had skin cancer, CLL (Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukemia), and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.” That’s how Janet and her sister became dedicated caregivers, helping their parents. 

“We were known as the “fun family” at the cancer center and the hospital – laughing and joking together through the treatments. I lived about 10 minutes from my parents, so I was on call for emergencies late at night and on weekends.” Janet adds: “As stressful as it was, being one of their caregivers is something I’ll treasure. We got to share laughter and tears, and I got to witness their courage firsthand.”

Sadly, their mother passed away in 2019. Asked what she’d say to others given the chance, Janet said: “I was fortunate to live close to my parents, and they had access to first-class cancer treatment near where they lived. Not everyone is that lucky. Living with cancer is a stressful time; people shouldn’t have to stress about traveling hours to receive treatment. The Hope Lodges take away some of that stress and allow people with cancer to focus on getting better.”

Thank you, Janet, for joining us for the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride. With your support, we can help end cancer as we know it, for everyone!

Decline in cancer deaths, but rise in cancer diagnoses for under Age 50

The new American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures Report is out, and it brings both good news and bad news. The good news is that cancer mortality rates continue to decline. The bad news is that new cancer cases are projected to top two million for 2024. 

Cancer deaths continue to decline “thanks to increased screenings, lower tobacco use, and cancer research that gave us better treatments,” said Dr. Bill Dahut, ACS Chief Scientific Officer AND Pan Ohio Hope Rider when speaking on ABC’s Good Morning America.

As Dr. Dahut shares, this year’s report also revealed that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause in women under 50. This is especially disheartening since regular screenings can detect and even help prevent colon cancer. A polyp in the colon can take years to develop into cancer. With regular screenings, starting at age 45 for “average risk” individuals, doctors can find and remove polyps before they have a chance to turn into cancer. Learn about screenings, detection, prevention, and more at cancer.org/coloncancer.

The American Cancer Society’s 2024 Cancer Facts & Figures Report is an annual report that compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrences and outcomes. Read the full report online.

Why should you join the Pan Ohio Hope Ride? For people like Debbie Polson…

Why do hundreds of cyclists, joined by twice as many volunteers, come together in July to ride some 350 miles from Cleveland to Cincinnati in the American Cancer Society’s Pan Ohio Hope Ride? 

We ride, volunteer, and give for people like Debbie Polson, a current Cleveland Hope Lodge guest.

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Previous Pan Ohio Hope Rides (2021-22) raised more than $1.3 million to directly support the Cleveland Hope Lodge’s $8 million capital campaign, helping make the renovation and expansion of their facilities possible. 

Last year, our event raised more than $855,000 to support the Hope Lodge. Proceeds from this year’s Pan Ohio Hope Ride also will go towards covering the operational budget of the Hope Lodge, which not only helps guests directly, but frees up American Cancer Society funding for use on other patient services, cancer research, screenings, and educational outreach. 

You can sign-up to ride one, two, or all four days, register as a volunteer or general supporter, or make a donation by visiting pohr.org today! 

Join for the ride, stay for the fight!

Register for the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride at pohr.org!

The moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived…
the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride Registration is officially open!

This year’s event will be held Thursday, July 25 through Sunday, July 28, 2024, traveling from Cleveland to Cincinnati, and we’d love to have YOU join us!

We have registration options that allow participants to ride for one, two or all four days as well as offering a virtual rider level and free registration for supporters and future volunteers. Everyone who registers can participate in the Pan Ohio Incentive Point Program and reap the rewards of raising money to help end cancer as we know it, for everyone.

Proceeds from our fundraising will support the Cleveland Hope Lodge, the American Cancer Society’s ONLY Hope Lodge in Ohio, located a few miles from some of our country’s premier cancer treatment and research centers.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

• Four-Day: $195 early bird registration | $1328 fundraising minimum
  • Four-Day registration goes up to $225 on January 1, 2024.
  • Pre-Registered participants, use your promotional code.
• Two-Day: $100 registration | $750 fundraising minimum
• One-Day: $50 registration | $500 fundraising minimum
• Create Your Own 328: $35 registration | $328 suggested fundraising
• Supporter & Volunteer: Free registration | No fundraising minimum

First-Time Riders: Contact POHR staff for a discount code to save 50% on registration.

FUNDRAISER INCENTIVES & RECOGNITION

To thank you for your efforts, the following benefits are available to all registered participants.

• Incentive Point Program: Registered participants earn Pan Ohio Incentive Points – redeemable for merchandise – for completing fundraising challenges, recruiting participants, securing sponsors, and more. (See Incentive Point Flyer for details.)
• Event Apparel: All registered participants receive a commemorative t-shirt; raise $1,328 to earn an official event jersey.
• The Dynamo Club: Raise $5,000 to join the club (and become a DetermiNation National Pacesetter), $7,500 to become a Trailblazer, and $10,000 to become a Beacon with special recognition rewards earned at each level.

Learn more about the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride and register at pohr.org.

Discounted Pre-Registration for the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride Ends August 31, 2023

Time is running out for returning riders to pre-register for the 2024 Pan Ohio Hope Ride at the special rate of ONLY $160! 

Pre-registration is open through the end of the day on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at the discounted rate of $160 for all returning participants (any ride or volunteer level) who wish to join us in riding for all four days in 2024! Complete the pre-registration, and you’ll receive a promotional code that can be entered once the 2024 POHR website is live in September. 

PRE-REGISTER TODAY: https://runsignup.com/TicketEvent/POHREarlyBird24 

Standard POHR registration rates for 2024 will be $195 from the website’s launch through December 31, 2023, and $225 as of January 1, 2024. NEW TO PAN OHIO? Reach out to our incredible staff at PanOhioInfo@cancer.org for a discount code that gets you 50% off the standard registration rates (standard deadlines and fundraising minimums apply).

POHR Spotlight: Sean McClain, Featured Rider AND Volunteer

Sean McClain, participating this year as a Create Your Own 328 rider, has been a fixture around the American Cancer Society Pan Ohio Hope Ride since he joined the event in 2011. He has been both rider and volunteer, including a stint as the event’s co-chair.

A friend of Sean’s, Mike Hammontree, told me about this event as both were endeavoring to make some major lifestyle changes to improve their health.

“His friend, Adam Kuhn, passed away from cancer, and this was his (Mike’s) way to be healthier and to fight back against cancer,” says Sean. “In turn, my grandfather died of cancer back in 2001 and my grandmother in 2009. I personally witnessed my grandmother pass away. That is something that stays with you. So this became my way to honor them as well as to become healthier.”

In those early years, several people Sean knew faced cancer – some survived, some did not.

“I felt this was a calling to be further entrenched with the event and raise funds for the ACS and be that advocate for those fighting cancer. As the years have gone on, more people I knew became affected by cancer, either directly or indirectly.”

As the four-day ride wrapped up in 2019, fundraising was closing in on the $1 million mark – something it had never done before.

“I wanted to help get us there, so I came up with something called the “Five Ohio Hope Ride,” where I would ride a least five miles everyday in the month of August to keep on raising money,” Sean explains. “We were able to get to $1 million raised so it became a push to get to Dynamo for the first time – I was able to get to Dynamo on the last day of August, which was also the last day of fundraising for the year.”

Sean has managed to join the Dynamo Club (raising at least $5,000 in a fundraising season), each year since then. Unfortunately, a slow-to-heal ankle injury on Christmas Day 2022, sidelined Sean from the four-day event so he went back to “Five Ohio Hope Ride,” riding at least 5 but often 10 or more miles a day in July. The day before the in-person ride, Sean became a Dynamo once again, which is extra special this year since his jersey concept was made into the 2023 Dynamo Club Jersey.

“Really it’s the people and it’s the cause that brings me back each year. I honestly feel this was something I was meant to do and fate brought me here – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Fellow Pan Ohio Volunteer and Rider Jody McClain joined her husband Sean for the 2021 POHR Cloverleaf.

Thank you, Sean, for all you have and all you will do for the American Cancer Society Pan Ohio Hope Ride. While many of us wrapped up our journey on Sunday, July 23, you (and other Create Your Own 328 riders) are still plugging away. Know that we’re on the virtual sidelines cheering for you every mile of the way as you complete your personal Hope Ride this year.

POHR Rider Spotlight: Champion of Hope Todd Wesley

For those who don’t recognize him, that IS a (beardless) Jeff Darpel on the left, next to Tony Kellerman, with Todd on the right.

Todd Wesley, a Cincinnati Cycle Dawg, is a survivor, and that makes him one of our Champions of Hope. 

“When I was told about the tumors on my lungs, I called a good friend, Jeff Darpel, who told me I was going to beat Cancer, and I would need to ride the ‘Pan Ohio Hope Ride’ with him,” says Todd. “I donated a number of years to him but never rode. I promised I would ride when I beat it – which thankfully I did, and I kept my promise…I am very blessed to have beaten Lung Cancer over 8 years ago. Earlier this year I had a tumor come back, but thankfully it was benign.”

In addition to lung cancer, Todd continues to battle skin cancer. 

“I might miss a year, but I never seem to make it two years without having Melanoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma leave another scar somewhere on my body,” he explains. But Todd doesn’t only ride and raise money because of his own personal cancer fight. 

“Everyone has someone in their life that has been impacted by cancer; this horrible disease has impacted many of my family and friends.” he says, having lost his grandmothers, an aunt, an uncle, and a step-uncle to cancer. 

“This year it has impacted me again that someone very close to me, and someone way too young has started her fight with this disease. I hate cancer with a passion and would do anything to trade spots with this person. Unfortunately, that is not how life works. All I can do is pray that everyone who is battling cancer gets to hear those words ‘Cancer Free’ and to continue to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.”

Proceeds from this year’s Pan Ohio Hope Ride support the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Cleveland, Ohio. Helping cover their operational budget not only helps the cancer patients who stay at the Hope Lodge when their best treatment option is far from home, it frees up funds to support other American Cancer Society patient services as well as research and educational outreach to help end cancer as we know it, for everyone. 

“What a wonderful cause,” Todd says, “And I’m so fortunate to have met some of the most incredible people over the last 7 years participating in this event….One day there will be a cure, and no one will lose their battle with this dreaded disease.” 

To which we can only add a big “amen, Todd!” 

Thank you, Todd, for your passion and dedication to the cause, and thanks Jeff for being a great friend and an awesome Hope Ride ambassador.

POHR Rider Spotlight: Libby Kempe

Left: Libby Banfield Kempe, an angel of Mercy; right: Christina Janus, Paula Hendryx and Libby are Mind Brain Social Club (MBSC) as well as medical institution team members. Center: Libby’s brother and guardian angel Wayne Banfield.

“My brother Wayne died seven years ago of a rare cancer,” explains Libby Banfield Kempe. “He and I loved to cycle. We only rode once together many years ago – he talked and laughed the whole time, I swore. He always tried to get me to ride again with him, but we never did due to work and family commitments – usually on my part – which I regret.”

Libby joined the Pan Ohio Hope Ride as a member of Team Mind Brain Social Club in 2018 after donating to Dr. Paula Hendryx’s fundraiser. She knew little about the ride and assumed it was a “one day gig.” She must’ve liked it…because she keeps coming back all four days, every year – riding in memory of Wayne (pictured).

“Last year my sister-in-law, Pat, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer – she’s a tough retired nurse,” explains Libby. “I am a Nurse Practitioner and, sadly, have informed patients of a new diagnosis of cancer. I attempt to be supportive, informative…but also realistic with every patient. The resilience and courage of my patients and family members taught me I can dedicate four days of my life – mentally, physically, and financially – and many months attempting to raise money for someone I have never met.”

Riding in the POHR also allows her to raise awareness of cancer care and the services offered by American Cancer Society Hope Lodges.

“It can be mentally and physically challenging,” Libby says, “but you walk away with a sense of accomplishment, raising money for people in need, amazing new friends and pride in yourself.

In the last week of December 2022, Libby broke her kneecap. Even that hasn’t stopped her. On March 18th, after a follow-up x-ray of her patella, she posted on Facebook that it had “better be healed because I’ve started bike training. I’ve got a date with my bike and Ohio in July!”

This year Libby is not only riding for her brother Wayne (as always) but for her sister-in-law Pat Starcher-Banfield too. She says that her motto for the year is: “Whatever is good for your soul, DO THAT,” adding that “This ride and the people I have met are good for my soul!”

Thank you, Libby, for being both gentle and tough in the face of cancer and the arduous but epic fundraising 328-plus mile ride. You make it clear why nurses are referred to as Angels of Mercy!

POHR RIDER SPOTLIGHT: Scott Rini

Scott Rini (Kickin’ the Asphalt Out of Cancer) joined the Pan Ohio Hope Ride just four years ago, but what he lacks in longevity, he makes up for in enthusiasm for the cause. 

“I was looking for another charity ride,” he explains–one with “more miles.” He heard about the Pan Ohio Hope Ride and reached out to staff to learn more. Then he met Brian Bortz, who heads up our new rider outreach and education, and connected with Hallie Baron and Eddie Chadd, a couple of long-term Hope Riders. Not long after, he signed up and hasn’t looked back.

Like so many others, Scott calls Pan Ohio “a family of riders from over the U.S. (who) come together for the same cause.” He’s made friendships and “memories that last.” Asked why he returns to ride the POHR, his answer was simple and sincere: “I ride for those who can’t…I ride for those who need us most. I ride for our future,” he says, and “I ride for HOPE.”

Riding may be Scott’s passion, but fundraising is his purpose. He’s constantly coming up with ways to raise more money to support his POHR fundraising goals, and he’s tenacious about getting others involved and giving. Through his recent “Spring Into Cash and Give Hope” online 50/50 raffle, Scott raised $350 for his Hope Ride. AND, the jackpot winner, a Relay for Life participant, said she’s donating her winnings to the American Cancer Society, too.

Scott’s biggest and most successful personal fundraiser, now in its third year, is his “Trails for Hope: Run. Walk. Ride.” This year’s Trails for Hope is at St. Helena Heritage Park in Canal Fulton on Saturday, May 20.

A single day family event that takes months of planning, it features a 5K walk/fun run and 10, 20, 30 and 50 mile bike routes as well as food, live music and DJs, games, and more.  Some of his Pan Ohio family plan to join Scott’s ride to support his fundraising AND treat it as a training ride ahead of the big (four-day) ride in July.

THANK YOU, SCOTT, for putting your heart into all you do to raise money to support cancer patients. You are an inspiration to us all, and we’re proud to call you a member of the Pan Ohio Family! 

#WhyIRide Wednesday: John James

John James, captain of Team Ruritan, has been involved with the American Cancer Society Pan Ohio Hope Ride for five years now. He found the event while looking for a cycling charity ride, and it changed his life. 

“For me personally, this ride was part of my journey to finally healing from the grief of losing my Dad so many years ago. The ride brings Hope to me and to many others.”

“I ride in memory of my Dad who died of cancer when I was 13. I also ride in honor of my Mom who raised us 4 boys after my Dad died. I can’t fathom the sacrifices she made to raise us and get us all through college.”  

“This ride is a life changer:  Both for the ones we ride for and for the riders.  We’re all one word away from hitting our knees on the worst day of our life when the doctor says [that] you have ‘cancer.’  This ride is part of how we let the cancer fighters know they’re not alone in their battle for life.   We see them, we hear them, and we love them so much we’ll spend 4 days on a very tiny bicycle seat.”

We asked John what photos he would like to share from the Pan Ohio Hope Ride, and he provided these family photos.

“This was my third Hope (2017) ride and my wife and daughter met me at the finish line,” he said. “I know it sounds strange, but that was the moment that all that cancer had done to my past lost all control over my future. I’m not sure why, but this is the moment the grief from losing my Dad was finally healed…it only took 41 years but the Pan Ohio Hope Ride finally gave me peace over my past.”

Regarding the other photo, John with his canine family member, he said that it “just makes me happy every time I see it.” We couldn’t agree more. John confirmed that his daughter (in the picture) will be riding in the Hope Ride with him for the first time this year, and his wife will be a four-day volunteer.

Thank you, John, for your passion and endurance. We’re so excited to be welcoming even more of YOUR family to the Pan Ohio Family in 2023!