Pedal the Cause

I am raising money for the Siteman Cancer Center by riding 62 miles on September 22, 2024 at the annual Pedal the Cause event.  I have decided to raise money for cancer research to honor my father, Edward Squires, and my sister-in-law Jo Ann Boevingloh, both of whom died of cancer. 

The last time I saw my dad was on my 30th birthday in 1982 while visiting him in the hospital.  It’s a little ironic that he would die early of lung cancer in that he led a platoon (about 40 solders) across France and Germany in 1944-45 during World War II. He survived the horrors of war but could not survive cancer.  In many ways, I am pretty much a clone of my dad.  We are both a little introverted and we both are somewhat stoic.  Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to see me earn an M.S. in Atmospheric Science, watch my career progress, or see his lovely granddaughters.  Whenever something good happens to me or I achieve a goal, I think of him.

My sister-in-law Jo Ann died of brain cancer in 2015.  She was a life-long Social Worker, working with the mentally ill/homeless population.  Beginning at the age of 57 she spent several years fighting cancer but, in the end, it was just too much.  However, the way she conducted herself during that fight was truly inspirational.  I do not know how she was able to display so much grace and courage even as she began to realize how the fight would end.  I hope that if I am ever in a life and death struggle, I will be able follow in her brave footsteps.

It is important to know that 100% of the money raised goes to cancer research at the Siteman Cancer center, which is part of the Washington University School of Medicine and BJC Health Care in St. Louis, MO (Siteman Cancer Center).  Here are some impressive Pedal the Cause stats (2010-2023).

$45,811,439 in donations

For every $1 PtC donates to cancer research an additional $13 is obtained (on average) in outside funding, resulting in over $595 million in leveraged funds.

34,930 riders

8,000 volunteers

229 innovative cancer research projects funded

More details of the positive impacts that Pedal the Cause has had on cancer research can be found here: Impacts, and here: PTC Research.