I Ride For: Patti
I Ride For: Patti
It was an interesting ride 100+ miles for Patti. While I do not know her, I do know that she has been fighting Multiple Myeloma since 2018. Knowing what I have been through in just 3 years, I imagine Patti has been through similar.
I started this flag with new tires. My bike can take up to a 28mm tire, but as I fully believe if “some is good more is better”. I equate this with going to the full dose of as much medicine as our bodies can handle for as long as we can handle it. Patti can live with not being able to feel our toes. Right?
Then during my second ride my back tire blew. One minute it was good and the next “Bang” and it was flat. This is like going in for our next treatment feeling fine and the blood test comes back and our platelet counts are way down. Not horrible, but low enough for the doctor to say you should take a week or two off Revlimid. (But we DONT want to go off. This is what is killing the cancer.)
The tire change went much smoother than I expected. But then just as I was getting to maximum pressure “Bang” the replacement tube blew. I only had one replacement tube with me. So I pushed the bike home. This was just like Dexamethasone. Just when you think you are getting caught up on sleep “Bang” and you are walking the halls at 2am.
Fast forward to last week. I was riding with my son and his wife when Cole says, “I smell burning when you break”. We pulled over and found my rear break was rubbing on the sidewall of the tire only when I used the brake. This for sure was realizing that the doctors have the right combination of drugs and we are on our way to MRD 0 (remission). We are not there yet. Even when we get there every time we get tested we wonder if there will be a “Bang” but for now we are on the right track.
Patti, I don’t know if we will ever meet, but I wanted you to know that some stranger is thinking about you and your fight. This stranger also thanks you for what you went through in the early part of your fight that I am now benefit from. Here is to MRD 0 and no more flat tires!
SHINE!
The Road Rider