PEABODY — Tom DesFosses of Peabody says he's cancer-free with no more chemotherapy treatments needed, though a malignant brain tumor nearly took his life in 2003.
To give back for the care he received at the hands of Dr. Eric Wong at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the 68-year-old cancer survivor will kick off his third annual A Reason to Ride bike-a-thon from a parking lot at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers on Sept. 12.
DesFosses survived a bout with primary central nervous system lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with following a motor home trip out West. DesFosses, an avid long-distance cyclist and retired head of the gear plant at General Electric in Lynn, was treated by Wong, a cancer expert at Beth Israel. DesFosses beat long odds against him, then biked 750 miles around New England and raised $18,000 for brain tumor research.
Two years ago, he started A Reason to Ride to get more people involved. So far, DesFosses has raised nearly $120,000 for Wong's efforts. He spoke in his Trask Road home yesterday about how the ride has grown with the help of his wife, Judy, friend Bob Barry, and corporate sponsors like Fuddruckers and Beth Israel.
How are you feeling?
I'm feeling great. I just went through my probably, my hopefully, last chemotherapy treatment for a while. I got good results on that. The doctor said we'll stay off the chemo until the cancer comes back, and if it comes back we'll start back on the chemo. It's not guaranteed that it's going to come back, but it's not guaranteed it's not going to come back.
That's probably the reason why you are doing the bike-a-thon.
The reason why I'm doing it, when I was first diagnosed at that hospital, I was given approximately three months to live, not me, but 85 percent of the people who go through treatment. ... So I decided I wanted to give something back to the hospital, so I chose to bike ride because I am a long-distance cyclist and I love to bike ride.
When did you make the decision to switch from solo riding to putting on a bike-a-thon?
After that ride, we were planning on doing another one, and myself and Bob Barry, who was helping me on the very first ride and every other ride since, he and I were discussing how we could raise more money, and I said, "Why don't we start a bike-a-thon?" ... I got the hospital involved, the hospital became involved the first year. It was kind of new to them, they had never had a bicycle ride as a fundraiser.
The funds from the bike-a-thon go to Dr. Wong's efforts?
Dr. Wong's Cancer Research Fund. Where he's a Ph.D., he runs one of the larger cancer research facilities in Boston, and it's part of Beth Israel's overall cancer research program. He runs the brain tumor side of the business.
So, running the bike-a-thon becomes a full-time job for four months?
We solicit all the vendors. We solicit individuals. We solicit businesses to either donate or either become sponsors for the ride. Everything that we get, we solicit: the water, the juice, the bars. ... We got a great group of people that support us. Many of the local businesses are good in supporting us, either with gift certificates or a donation of food we can use at the ride.
Is it hard to go into these businesses and say, "Hey, you know, I need something for a bike-a-thon for cancer?"
I think it's difficult for a lot of people to do that, but I'm driven, because my life was actually saved. ... So I'm driven. I get a lot of nos and looks like, "What are you, crazy?" and I shrug my shoulders and go on. ... I guess I'm kind of driven to support cancer research. And the reason is, and I honestly believe, that the only way we are going to cure this disease is through research.
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or eforman@salemnews.com.
If you ride
What: A Reason to Ride bike-a-thon cancer benefit presented by Fuddruckers
When: Sunday, Sept. 12; kickoff at 8 a.m.
Where: Liberty Tree Mall, 100 Independence Way, Danvers
Routes: 10-, 25- and 50-mile routes through Danvers, Beverly, Wenham, Essex and Gloucester, looping back to the mall
For the family: Trike-a-thon for little kids, Fuddruckers cookout, raffles, music and a car show
Registration fee: $50 for adults, $25 for children, $125 for families
More information: Go to www.gratefulnation.org/areasontoride
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