Santa Fe Century 2001 - Honored Team Mate(s)
This ride is taking place in honor of two individuals:
Ed Birrane, a 64 year old father and grandfather. He was very healthy and very active until last summer when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was lucky to be in the 10% of people who are even operable, and had to have his whole pancreas removed in Sept. of 2000. He must live with insulin injections and pancreatic enzyme pills, but that's not the worst of it. The cancer had spread to the lymph nodes and he will probably only make it another couple of years. He has had a lot of complications from surgery and it has been a long, difficult recovery, going into the hospital twice since September. He is back to work, part-time and able to finally drive. Unfortunately, when pancreatic cancer is in the lymph nodes, it is terminal because it is one of the cancers that is very resistant to chemotherapy. The surgery gave him years instead of months, and we are hoping he has more healthy years ahead to enjoy.
Nicholas Voyton, an energetic 6 ½ year old who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in October, 1996. Nicholas completed his final treatment in April, 1999 and continues to do very well. Nicholas loves playing with friends, riding his bike, playing sports, especially soccer, watching Walt Disney videos, and playing with his collections (action figures, dinosaurs, animals, etc.) Nicholas is a very loving, caring and sensitive child. He loves his 3 year old sister dearly and watches over her all day long. He gets upset when his friends or other children are in pain. He will go up to them, hold their hand and tell them how brave they are. He also prays every night for all those who are sick or in need of help. Ed and Nicholas will be my inspiration to train and complete this century ride.
Update: 3/6/2001
This is not an update I enjoy making or wanted to make. On Sunday, March 4th, at 5:55 AM, Mr. Ed Birrane passed away, quietly, in his sleep. His final days were surrounded with comfort and family and he is no longer suffering or in any pain. Just a few weeks ago, his doctors had diagnosed the cancer had spread throughout his entire abdominal area and he had weeks, maybe a month to live. Unfortunately, this diagnosis was correct. I will continue to train and train hard to complete this century ride in honor of Ed's memory.