Matt Dallek

My Bike Tour

Matt — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:30:21 +0000

Hi. I wanted to post some pictures from my bike ride to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research at Johns Hopkins. (If you’d like to read about why I’m blogging here, you can read my piece in the Washington Post from early August: .)

This first photo I’ve posted below was taken on Friday night two days before my ride. My friends Dena and David special-ordered “Team Dallek” t-shirts for all of us and surprised me with them when I arrived at the restaurant. That was incredibly thoughtful and generous. The people shown here were very supportive of my ride and my fundraising efforts — so many many thanks to this great group.

Pictures from my bike ride will be up on this site soon. And I’ll have a few more people to thank and things to say in subsequent posts.

Matt

p.s. It’s not too late to make a tax-deductible contribution to Hopkins in support of my ride. To find out how you can do so, please follow this link to the donations page.

“Team Dallek”

Matt — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:29:22 +0000

The t-shirts that my friends ordered as a surprise say: “Team Dallek, Supporting Pancreatic Cancer Research, Civil War Century Ride, Sept. 6, 2008.”

From left to right: Rick Gaynor; Carla Mattix; Katie Worthman; me; Dena Ringold; David Gossett; Julie Berman; Gary Tell.

The Ride Begins

Matt — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:54:10 +0000

From Left to Right: David Gossett; Dena Ringold; Me; Carla Mattix and Katie Worthman. We’re in Thurmont, MD, about to start our 62-mile ride in support of pancreatic cancer research at Johns Hopkins.

Katie, Dena, and me

We’re off

Mile 32

Matt — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:47:22 +0000

Here we are at a rest stop in Fairfield at mile 32.

Also at mile 32; we’re half-way there…

The Ride Ends

Matt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:28:59 +0000

Here I am finishing the ride. We biked 62 miles, which took about 5 hours 30 minutes including stops. I’m 17 months out from successful pancreatic surgery to remove an islet-cell tumor at Hopkins. I’m relieved that I finished, amazed that I could feel so healthy, and saddened by the thought of all those who supported my ride and told me of loved ones who had adenocarcinoma.

Dena and I trade high-fives.

We’re done. The ice cream truck is on our right.

I would never have been able to do this without the love and support of family and friends–and the amazing doctors and nurses at Hopkins who saved me.