For years, my Pelotonia “why” was simple: YOU. I ride because I never want to see you or anyone I care about become my patient with cancer.

Last year, that changed. My reason became even more personal when my mom died in January 2025. A few days after her death, the pathology report confirmed small cell lung cancer.

I have spent more than a decade studying stigma and cancer. I finished my MPH in 2024, focusing on this topic. I hope to become a Chief Clinical Stigma Officer one day. My mom always said, “Why not?”

But stigma isn’t abstract anymore. It’s not academic. It’s not theoretical. It’s personal.

Stigma kept my mom from getting care sooner. Even though she knew something was wrong, fear and shame kept her quiet. This also affected the care she received. Her symptoms were not fully addressed, and her needs were not met. I saw the unfairness caused by stigma, both as her daughter and as a clinician.

Stigma cost her time, comfort, dignity, and life.

This is why I ride.

Pelotonia is a community that refuses to accept cancer as something we must simply endure. It invests in research, innovation, and hope. This community saves lives—lives of people I know and love.

Cancer became personal for me long before my mom.

In 2014, my Uncle Ernie was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. He died in 2015. In 2018, my Aunt Gayle was diagnosed with triple‑negative breast cancer. I was grateful to support her through that time. She benefited from research published just a year before—research that improved her treatment and outcomes.

People are alive today because of research supported by Pelotonia and by people like you. Since 2009, nearly $340 million has been raised for innovative cancer research. In 2025 alone, a record $29.2 million was raised. Pelotonia has funded 227 research grants, including work that has led to new therapies entering clinical trials—therapies that offer hope to patients who previously had none.

People I care about. People who matter.

And now, my mom is at the top of the list of people I ride for. To honor her. To celebrate her. To uplift those who can’t speak for themselves. To dismantle the stigma that keeps people from seeking care, receiving care, and surviving cancer.

I know I’m going to change the world. I can feel it. I have big goals to accomplish, and Pelotonia helps me reach them.

In 2025, I raised more than $10,000 for cancer research.

Let’s do it again.

My ask for 2026:

Will you donate today to help me raise $10,000? Your support will honor my mom and fund research that prevents other families from experiencing what mine did. To donate, visit my Pelotonia fundraising page and click “Donate.” Every contribution makes a difference.

#CelebrateMary #CelebrateYOU #CelebrateME

Thank you for believing in me and riding beside me.