FEBRUARY 2018 48 | riders often go on to raise much more. “They buy their own bikes and continue fundraising for their causes. It makes me so proud that probably three times that amount has come from an original ride on one of our bikes,” Griffiths said. A case in point: a woman who borrowed an Uphill Into the Wind bike 22 years after her cancer diagnosis. Her goal was to raise $22,000, which she achieved. She then bought her own bike and raised another $50,000. “This organization has had so many wonderful stories,” Griffiths said. “We had a guy riding in El Tour de Tucson. He was raising money for ALS—and he had ALS! Another guy borrowed a bike to fundraise for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. He totally underestimated the training required and came in last after riding almost 12 hours. He got serious after that. He purchased his own bike, trained like a champ and regularly beats that first time by several hours.” All told, in almost nine years, Uphill Into the Wind has loaned more than 310 bikes. In the organization’s terms, that’s 310 B.O.B.s: Bodies on Bikes. And those B.O.B.s are a great testament to Bob Griffiths, the inspiring man behind this organization. Judy Pearson is a journalist, published author, and the founder of A2ndAct.org. Her organization supports and celebrates women survivors of all cancers as they give back to the greater good in their 2nd Acts. Her passion is finding those who have have healed themselves by helping others. A 2ND ACT CONTINUED

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