MIAMI (CBSMIAMI) — A most cancers survivor is biking his approach by means of Florida to spotlight bone marrow donation.
Bob Falkenberg is a volunteer and stem cell courier for Be the Match as a result of he needs to assist others going by means of what he did.
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He’s within the technique of biking 600 miles to increase funds and consciousness. CBS 4 caught up with him outdoors of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
“I started in Jacksonville, at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, and this is day seven of the trip,” he stated. “We’ve got three days left to get to Key West.”
For him, the journey is private.
“13 years ago, I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia,” he defined.
Falkenberg wanted a bone marrow transplant, and after months of chemo, he obtained a match.
“You assess your life when you’re facing odds like that, when you have less than a 50-50 chance of making it,” he stated. “So I made a commitment right then that, if I live through it, I would spend a great deal of my time, as much as I can, trying to help people out.”
He has been in a position to try this by means of driving “By the Mile” benefiting Be the Match. From Colorado, he’s visiting as many transplant facilities as potential by bike.
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In truth, this isn’t his first lengthy tour. He’s additionally biked from Minneapolis to Boston to Jacksonville. That journey took two months.
Serving as a stem cell courier was what introduced him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, when he realized about their participation within the Dolphins Challenge Cancer occasion.
“I see all these cycling jerseys on the wall, and I said ‘We’ve got to get these people involved!’”
Dr. Edward Dela Ziga was considered one of them. He focuses on stem cell transplant within the pediatric Oncology/Hematology Clinic on the Sylvester Cancer Center.
“Some parents have to leave their jobs. They go through a lot of social and economic issues,” Dr. Dela Ziga defined. “If I can ride a few miles, have a few body aches, and raise some money for them, I think I’m going to do that.”
“I have been sponsored today by three families who I took care of in our center,” he continued. “Today, we’ve raised over $20,000.”
All of the cash goes to the Patient and Family Support fund.
One of the messages they hope to get out is the necessity for individuals to register, significantly those that are African American, Asian American and Latino American. They say they’re historically underrepresented on the registry.
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