Health & Fitness
Cycling for a Cause: Our Journey from Alaska to South America for HERS Breast Cancer Foundation
After experiencing breast cancer beside his mother, Neil Walsky joined by Jesse Frechione, are biking from Alaska to South America, to raise money for Fremont-based HERS Breast Cancer Foundation.
After learning about HERS Breast Cancer Foundation (HBCF) and its mission to support all women healing from breast cancer by providing post-surgical products and services regardless of financial status, it didn’t take long for Jesse Frechione and I to make the decision to dedicate the next four months to ride from Alaska to South America on behalf of the foundation.
HBCF is a professional accredited foundation, established in 1998 by a team of empowering women and we are excited to embark on this journey.
In February 2011, my mother underwent a lumpectomy for breast cancer, which was discovered only after an accident bruised her breast and the area did not heal. After experiencing the challenges and triumph of breast cancer beside my mother, I was truly inspired to do something to bring greater awareness and education about breast cancer.
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Ever since I viewed the documentary The Motorcycle Diaries, I was always ambitious to take an extraordinary journey through South America. Since I recently graduated with a Civil Engineering degree and already accomplished playing professional hockey in Switzerland, I knew now was the best time to take advantage of being young and having the time to take the ride of lifetime. Along with my best friend since the age of twelve, Jesse Frechione, we hit the road spinning on Thursday, August 23rd at 4:30 a.m. AKT.
We packed up and officially departed our hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, equipped with the top-of-the-line gadgets, prepared for multiple climates, and armed with the necessary protective gear. As we pedal-on with hope and excitement, we are prepared for but not paying attention to the changes in weather, coming head-to-head with bears, or even finding a place to shower; rather we are looking forward to achieving one of life’s amazing milestones, raise recognition and funds for HERS Breast Cancer Foundation, and truly make a difference in the world.
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As we have officially exited Alaska and crossed into Canada, we are heading towards Washington State and plan to be in the Bay Area September 18th – 23rd. If anyone is interested in joining our journey anywhere along the way, our complete travel schedule includes: Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and will wrap up the journey in Colombia; for a total of 6,689.7331 miles.
We welcome fellow cyclists to join us on the road, visit our Facebook or Twitter where we are posting continuous updates, and we are very grateful for any generous donations towards HERS Breast Cancer Foundation.
