Blazing the trail against cancer

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio - The road in the fight against cancer goes through Cleveland.

Jonathan Cain and Chris Mercer are on that road cycling on a route to Sacramento, California from Pittsburgh that will take them nearly six weeks.

Cain, 30 and Mercer, 50 are plotting a route for a ride they will take next year with between 6 and 12 cancer survivors as part of an organization called New Hope Challenge.

“This is a challenge for cancer survivors to provide information for those that are going through cancer treatments right now,” said Mercer. “A way for cancer victims to reach out to survivors to get information on the best sources for health care and health care treatments.”

They are challenging the medical community to provide information that is easy to understand to those dealing with cancer.

“We also want to challenge research centers and doctors to kind of break things down into a more digestible format for everyday people that don’t necessarily know all the medical terminology,” said Cain.

The two men are challenging themselves physically as well as intellectually.

“We’re challenging ourselves to provide a bridge between those medical professionals, cancer victims and survivors and cancer victims,” added Mercer.

Mercer’s fight with cancer is also personal.

“Cancer will afflict one out of every two people in this country. It’s hard to say that anyone out there can say that someone in their family isn’t afflicted by cancer. Yes I have a Uncle Joe and I have an Aunt Betsy right now with cancer. It’s for them and also for all the other people right now that I don’t know but I wish I could know,” said Mercer.

Next year’s ride with survivors will be the first of what they said would be an annual ride with the route changing so they can spread the word and continue to connect medical help and information with those in need of help in dealing with cancer.

They anticipate the six week ride they are on this year will take longer with the larger group of cancer survivors.

http://newhopechallenge.org/