Hi everyone! 

Thank you again to those who have so generously supported this endeavor to honor Ilana Massi while participating in the Scenic Shore 150. Training has not been easy, with snow and high winds keeping me pedaling on the CompuTrainer in my basement. I've been traveling a lot lately, and there isn't much end in sight, but I try to run on the treadmill at hotels every morning before I start my day. I only hope this will increase my endurance during the two-day, 150-mile bike ride. 

I am so close to my goal, so I ask again for your support. Together, we can fight to save lives! Thank you! 

Wow! Thanks to the incredible generosity of my Novartis family, I have already exceeded my original fundraising goal of $1,000. Anthony, Dana, Kat, and Sara - thank you again for your generous donations, and for supporting me on a daily basis. I am so proud to be a “Novartian,” not just because of the innovative medicines we develop and support, including Kymriah, the first-ever FDA approved CAR-T cell therapy for children and adolescents with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I am proud of our culture and our people, who are kind, compassionate, generous, curious, hard-working, and driven to do what is right. THANK YOU! 

With 17 weeks to go, I could sit back and relax my fundraising efforts, but I will be training hard for the big event. To reflect that, I’ve decided to increase my fundraising goal to $2,500 for LLS. Since 1949, LLS has been on the forefront of blood cancer advances such as chemotherapies and stem cell transplantation leading the way to the targeted therapies and immunotherapies that are saving thousands of lives today.

LLS is changing the landscape of cancer with more than 300 active research projects that explore different avenues of new and adventurous research; ones with promise and ones that will save lives not someday, but today. So as I keep turning those wheels (literally), please help me turn someday into today. Thank you. 

When my good friend, Stefanie, asked me to participate in the 2018 Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour for Team Novartis, I jumped at the opportunity. I first saw the Ride as a great way to literally get back in the saddle on my road bike while having fun with some colleagues I am fortunate enough to call friends. My second thought was this could be my small way of paying tribute to a woman who had a significant impact on my career, a woman whose strength and courage continue to inspire me almost every day, a woman who relentlessly demands equal rights for all, all the while battling acute myeloid leukemia (AML). That woman is Ilana Massi. 

Ilana was diagnosed with AML in late 2014, and underwent aggressive treatment, including multiple setbacks, culminating in a stem cell transplant at City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital in Southern CA. Ilana continues to thrive, and now volunteers with LLS herself. Her village of supporters have donated endless pints of blood and platelets, Lit Up many Nights, donned more orange than a patch of pumpkins, and donated significant amounts of time and money to the fight against cancer. 

Ilana created the position which led me to Novartis, and I will always remember meeting her during that first interview. Her spirit literally lights up a room, she radiates energy... she is a force of nature. I was immediately awed and intimidated. I continued to spend most of the almost 2 years working with her in a state of awe/intimidation; it wasn't until she went on medical leave and we became Facebook friends that I fully began to appreciate how truly amazing Ilana is. She is an innovater, a mother, a doer, a wife, an advocate, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, and a fist that clenches with indignation. I am as grateful to know her as I am for the path Novartis set before me. 

I asked Ilana for her permission to ride the Scenic Shore 150 in her name. She said she would be honored, but she is wrong. I am the one who is honored. Thank you, Ilana, for this privilege. I hope I make you proud. 

Welcome To My Scenic Shore 150 Fundraising Page.

Please join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign. Thanks to your support, my efforts, will help fund the therapies and treatments and help save lives today.

The Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour is a two-day, 150 mile, fully-supported cycling event that is open to riders of all ages and abilities. One of Wisconsin's most popular bike rides, the Scenic Shore 150 is the largest locally organized and supported event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With 1,300 riders raising over $1.4 million the Scenic Shore 150 continues to be one of the premier charity cycling events in Wisconsin and was named Best Cycling Event in the Midwest by Competitor Magazine for the past 3 consecutive years!  

LLS's continued advancements over the years, are responsible for the blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled.

And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs are now being tested for patients with other non-cancerous diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.

We really are changing the face of blood cancer!

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

Please visit my Web site often and bring friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere I thank you for your support!
For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org