Cycling

We've gained momentum, and we've already changed the way we're fighting rare cancers.
- Jennifer Linn

In December 2004, marketing executive and fitness enthusiast Jennifer Goodman Linn was diagnosed with MFH sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. Since then, she has fought four battles with this deadly disease. To date, her treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City included four major surgeries and thirty months of chemotherapy.

During her initial course of treatment, Jen found strength and solace in her indoor cycling sessions. "Cycling enabled me to push myself to the best of my ability every day, and I believe that it saved my life," she said.

At the same time, Jen developed a strong bond with her MSK caregivers and fellow patients and vowed that if she survived, she would do something to express her gratitude.

Jen demonstrated her determination to give back by working with her husband Dave to create Cycle for Survival, an an indoor team cycling event held for the first time in January 2007. The inaugural event was an inspiration for all fifty teams and 230 participants, and the 2008 event added fifty more teams from around the world "geared up to battle cancer."

The third annual event doubled in size, with over 200 teams raising a record-breaking $1.2 million. Already one of the most successful patient-initiated fundraisers in MSK history, Cycle 2010 this past January broke even more records: 2,500 participants and over $2.4 million raised to fight cancer.