2008 Woodie Awards
Riding for a cure
Margaret Finnegan
Issue date: 5/7/05 Section: News
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The cause is close to Sheffer's heart, as close as you can get. Her teenage daughter was diagnosed with a type of leukemia called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and received a bone marrow transplant. This ride, in part, is to honor her daughter's five-year anniversary, a huge milestone when fighting leukemia. Sheffer praised the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, "This organization is so fiscally responsible. They really make sure that their money is used well. My family, personally, benefited just from the research that was done 10 years ago. All of the money raised in Illinois, stays in Illinois and the state gives direct patient aid."
Dr. Sheffer is also riding to honor Kathy Anderson, the Assistant to the Provost. Anderson has been battling Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) and just celebrated her one-year anniversary of her bone marrow transplant. Sheffer said, "My daughter, Shauna, and Kathy illustrate some of the success stories. Unfortunately, too many people are still dying from blood-related cancers." That is why Sheffer is also dedicating her ride in Lake Tahoe to Shirley McFaul, a beloved part of the Lewis University community, who lost her courageous battle with leukemia. Sheffer recalls when she preparing for her first ride in Tucson, Arizona in 2001, "Some of the faculty heard that I was riding and sent donations. Shirley McFaul was at home, sick, and sent me a donation." Although they never met in person, they did correspond by e-mail when Sheffer knew McFaul was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. "I offered to do whatever I could for her," Sheffer said. Riding in McFaul's honor is what Sheffer will be doing.
To prepare for the Ride for Cure, Sheffer is part of a Team-in-Training that prepares and trains for four months prior to the ride in Tahoe. Each team member receives a book with instructions on what to do, individually, on a daily basis, and they train as a team each Wednesday and Saturday. Wednesday's training is done indoors on spin bikes and Saturday's training is done outside, where they actually ride. Sheffer said, "The training is a very gradual program, as if we are couch potatoes, we start out slow. Last weekend we did 18 miles, this weekend we will do 25 miles, then 30, and so on, until we get to 80 miles before the big ride." The ride starts at 6 A.M. on Sun. June 5th and Sheffer said that she hopes to complete the 100 miles in nine hours. She does not consider herself an athlete or a strong individual, she feels those whose honor she is riding for have more strength and courage that she could ever have.
