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What a weekend for Team AC/PMP! Everybody arrived by Friday afternoon and the spirits were high and everyone was enjoying the fall sun. With no expectations the team set out to have a good time and raise awareness for Appendix cancer. Team AC/PMP raced in the four-man team division and the solo women division November 2-3, 2019. The race course was a 13.5-mile loop with approximately 2,700 feet of climbing according to their website. The four-man team put up 19 laps in 25 hours and the solo female put up three laps during the 25-hour race. The team ran into problems when one team member went over the handlebars at a high rate of speed and took a gash to the knee allowing that team member to do one more lap early in the race. But as with every cancer patient out there, the team did not quit and continued the race in the face of adversity.
It was a huge success as many people asked what the acronym ACPMP stood for. These questions opened the door for a quick explanation to individuals who had no idea appendix cancer existed, let alone, the severity of the disease.
As I was riding on Sunday at two a.m. I became incredibly thankful for the God-given gift that has been presented to me. The ability to do those things that I truly love and be with individuals that have been there for me through thick and thin. I thought about all those individuals who are in the hospital fighting this disease and those that have passed as a result of it. I thought about my recovery and remembered all tubes and needles that penetrated my body. It was a surreal feeling to be out on the trail in such a lonely place, a place very similar to the days after my surgery. As I navigated that lonely trail I peaked and could see all the lights in the valley. As I started down the trail the lights became brighter and more distinguished. I knew then that I would make it. Just like the days after my surgery, such a lonely and miserable place, but as the days passed the lights became brighter and more distinguished and like the little engine that could, I knew I would make it
A few stats that are not scientific in any way: The team rode over 296 miles in 25 hours, or 1,562,000 feet. We climbed over 58,000 feet. We estimate that during the race our hearts beat over 300,000 times and we burned over 93,500 calories during the race.
We are looking for another race to do in the spring so if there are any suggestions let us know.
Stay Strong and Maintain Hope!
Who we are?
Team AC/PMP is a mountain biking team made up of ordinary people who have one goal in common: To bring attention to Appendix Cancer/Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (AC/PMP). We are not professional cyclists. We are every day individuals who have been affected by AC/PMP.
What is AC/PMP?
AC/PMP is a rare cancer affecting 1-2 people in 1 million. Generally, people hear you have appendix cancer and they think just remove the appendix and you are cured. This is so far from the truth. Cancer that starts in the appendix comes with different grades, but regardless, is a disease that usually isn’t found until at an advanced stage. Stage IV appendix cancer is common and likely the general rule. When the tumor in the appendix bursts it sends cancer cells streaming into the abdomen where they attach to other organs and begin to grow, producing mucin which fills the abdominal cavity. The tumors and mucin affect other organs such as the bowels, gallbladder, spleen and other organs. AC/PMP is treated with surgery/chemo therapy and once outside the appendix treatment consists of surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This surgery is an invasive surgery that can take anywhere from 5-16 hours as the surgeon removes the affected organs, scrapes other organs and then fills the abdomen with chemotherapy for up to an hour and a half before closing the abdomen. It is not uncommon that a patient has had chemo therapy prior to the surgery and is required to have chemotherapy after the surgery in an attempt to kill the microscopic cancer cells remaining.
Team AC/PMP Participants:
Bob Franek – Bob is an attorney in Grand Lake, Colorado. Bob was diagnosed with AC/PMP in June of 2017. He underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy prior to having Cytoreduction/HIPEC surgery in October 2017. He then had an additional four months of chemotherapy before scans showed he was NED (No evidence of Disease). To this day Bob is cancer free and he continues to enjoy family, friends, and of course mountain biking.
Cheri Feuerstein – Cheri lives in Loveland, Colorado and is a retired project manager from CDOT. She currently opened a consulting firm helping other CDOT consultants with road projects throughout the State of Colorado. Cheri is Bob’s sister and she supported him throughout his cancer treatment.
Mitch Franek – Mitch Franek lives in St. George Utah and works for Johansen’s Pools. He currently opened his own pool company named Pool Logic, LLC out of St George, UT. Mitch is the son of Bob and is currently engaged to be married to Kierra Reber.
Tyler Franek – Tyler is a recent graduate of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and he continues to reside in Las Vegas, NV. Tyler is Bob’s son and he is an analyst for Southwest Gas. He enjoys mountain biking and the outdoors in his free time.
Dillan Feuerstein – Dillan lives in Loveland, Colorado and is a student at Colorado State University. He is studying Civil engineering and will graduate in 2021. Dillan is Cheri’s son and enjoys hunting and fishing as well as mountain biking.
Why Team AC/PMP?
We put this team together to raise funds for the ACPMP Research Foundation, a non-profit corporation funding research for improved treatment and awareness for AC/PMP. The other reason for the team is to give individuals with AC/PMP hope. Hope that often eludes people as they continue through treatment. Hope that is hard to grasp when you feel like you're running a marathon with the flu, a cold and you are barefoot, only to wake up the next day and do it again. Hope that is so vital to positive outcomes in dealing with a disease that is so cruel and without discrimination. We race to give you hope and perseverance. We race for those with AC/PMP and in doing so we represent a small group of people unlike any other throughout the world. A small group, whether survivor, caregiver, supporter, husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, doctor, or nurse, tied together by a disease that is unforgiving and ruthless. A disease that we will raise awareness for and define with each stroke of the pedal, each surgery, each chemotherapy session and with knowledge and support.
What is Team AC/PMP doing?
The team will be racing in the mountain bike race 25 Hours in Frog Hollow. This is s 25-hour mountain bike race on a 13-mile course. The team that gets the most laps wins, simple as that. The race continues through the night, and with daylight savings time the extra hour gives racers an additional hour to complete more laps. We will be racing a four-man team and Cheri will be racing the single women’s category. The goal is to raise funds for ACPMP and raise awareness about Appendix Cancer and Pseudomyxoma Peritonei.
When and Where is the Race?
The race is in St. George, Utah and begins on November 2, 2019, at 10;00 a.m. and continues until November 3, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. If you are in the area of St. George, UT on the day of the race be sure to come out and support the team.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS!
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Visit 25 Hours in Frog Hollow Official Website for details about the race
About the ACPMP Research Foundation
The ACPMP Research Foundation is a 501c(3) whose mission is to fund promising research to find a cure for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP), Appendix Cancer, and related Peritoneal Surface Malignancies (PSM), and to fund educational programs for physicians and patients about these diseases.
To learn more about ACPMP, visit:
https://acpmp.org/about-us
2021 L Street NW
Suite 101-244
Washington, DC 20036-4909
Tel: (833) 227-6773
E-mail: info@acpmp.org
501(c)3, EIN: 26-2890160
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