In his 1993 ESPYS speech, Jim Valvano spoke about the precious moments in life. He reminded us all to cherish the ones you have, because you never know how many you have left. Jim knew he had very few moments still to come because of his cancer. And that’s what cancer does. It robs us…

For over a decade, cancer played far too large a role in Michael Werner’s life. Between 2008 and 2018, Werner not only lost his father and his best friend from high school to cancer, but also faced a lymphoma diagnosis of his own. Werner has seen cancer move quickly and take its time. His father…

Like far too many people, Alan Ma has seen what cancer can do. He’s had friends and family members take on the disease, with a few passing away. But it got very personal for Ma when his older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32 years old. The news of a closer family…

Michael Prunka has never been particularly athletic. To many people who describe themselves that way, the thought of getting on a bike for a 60-mile ride might be overwhelming. For Prunka, the cause made the challenge worth it, especially after losing his best friend’s mother to cancer in December 2020. “She had been a second…

I have been the wife, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, nurse and coworker of someone diagnosed with cancer. Each story was different, as was the role I played in their journey; but the first time you hear the “C” word connected to someone you love, you are changed forever. I married my best friend, Willy,…

It had been years since Nita Kroninger had been on a bike. She’s not even a casual bike rider, let alone an avid cyclist. She had never even considered riding in a large bike event like the Victory Ride to Cure Cancer. Then her whole life changed when her husband, Ed, was diagnosed with cancer….

In August 2020, Kelly Beccaccio was diagnosed with breast cancer. For most people who hear the words, “You have cancer,” it’s a shocking experience unlike anything else they’ve dealt with before. Unfortunately, for Kelly, it was all too familiar. Three years earlier, in July 2017, Kelly was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease…

Drew Dietrich knows all too well what cancer can take away. More than 20 years ago, several years after he graduated college, a close friend of his passed away after a battle with cancer. That was his first close-up experience with cancer, and it inspired him to get involved. “Her death motivated me to get…

Dr. Lou Vaickus has the same motivations as most who register for the Victory Ride to Cure Cancer presented by Braswell Family Farms. He’s dealt with cancer more than anyone should have to. His father had cancer, his father-in-law died from cancer, and he has a sister, cousin and three close friends currently facing the…