This year I'm participating in the 14th Annual Cycle for Life on Saturday 11th September, which benefits the Floating Hospital for Children's Cancer Center. The basic idea is that the fundraising from the riders provides direct support for young patients and their families.

The organisation is based at Tufts Medical Center and offers a unique approach, which appeals to me:

"The pediatric cancer program at Floating Hospital for Children offers complete hematology and oncology services for children.  Floating Hospital physicians have developed novel protocols for the aggressive treatment of cancer, including autologous bone marrow transplantation and new approaches to administering chemotherapy.

Floating Hospital for Children's Cancer Center stresses a team approach to the management of pediatric cancer patients, working closely with pediatric surgeons and radiation oncologists.  The Center has received national recognition for its innovative patient and family support programs and provides state-of-the-art cancer treatment."

Source: Cycle for Life

Cycle for life Over the last couple of years, my Twitter buddy Alicia Staley has organised a team and off they go in their free time one Saturday morning in the fall, 25 or 50 miles round Marblehead, Massachusetts.

The last two years have seen a bit of rain, so I'm hoping the weather Gods will play nicely this year since I rashly agreed to join the Staley's Riders team, as did Marian, one lunchtime when we all met up in NY :).

To date, I'm about a third of the way towards my target, so if any of you readers or your organisation would like to chip in for a good cancer cause, here's the link.

It will be interesting to see how effective social media is at helping to fund raise.  All donations are warmly appreciated in advance!