Cancer Wins! Surprise Malignancy Curtails Cross-Country Anti-Cancer Bike Ride.
Categories: Local News
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| Things haven't exactly gone as planned for Joe Iverson since he set off from San Francisco on his anti-cancer cycling tour |
Cancer, it seems, took Iverson's efforts personally. Halfway through the ride, Iverson was forced to abandon the cause so he could battle a previously undiscovered cancerous tumor in his own brain.
He'd become inspired to join the worldwide battle against the disease after volunteering at a camp for youthful cancer sufferers, watching 10-year-olds manage the illness. "These kids are amazing. They have every right to be heartbroken, but they're not. They truly are inspirational," Iverson told his hometown paper, the Westby Times.
Last summer Iverson worked at a San Francisco church homeless shelter and at a city bible school, before heading by bicycle toward the Sierra Nevadas. The idea was to speak and sing at churches, urging congregants to help in the fight against the disease.
Iverson made it as far as Kansas, when his battle against cancer was derailed by, well, a different kind of battle with cancer. The cyclist's head began to hurt. He couldn't see right. He was plagued by seizures, the Westby Times reported.
"It was like the wires in my brain were crossed and I felt like I was going to short-circuit," Iverson was quoted as saying. It turned out he had a malignant tumor on the right side of his brain. He had brain surgery, underwent six months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and was scheduled for a checkup on Sept. 15.
Iverson said he planned to return to his anti-cancer tour sans cancer.
"If they give me the green light, I'll be on my way to Great Bend, Kansas, to continue my journey where I left off. It might take me a little longer, but I'm determined to make it," Iverson said.
Cancer was unavailable for comment as to whether it would again attempt to derail Iverson's ride.
Photo | Salim Virji
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