Bike tour raises funds for cancer research

Posted on Sep 24, 2009 by Cindy Hadish.

Abbey Almelien is shown this summer using the crutches she needs after her leg and hip were amputated one year ago. Almelien, who was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer, is supporting Saturdayís Amish Harvest Tour to Cure Cancer, even though she cannot ride. The bike ride, which begins and ends in rural Kalona, raises funds for cancer research.

Abbey Almelien can’t ride a bike, but hopes others will.

Almelien, 30, of Iowa City, is speaking out for Saturday’s Amish Harvest Tour to Cure Cancer, a bike ride that raises funds for cancer research.

Diagnosed in August 2008 with sarcoma, a cancer that arises in the bones and soft tissues, Almelien’s right leg and hip were amputated one year ago, but the cancer has spread to her lungs.

She uses crutches to walk.

“Unfortunately, it’s a very fast-growing and aggressive type,” said Almelien, a pediatrics nurse at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics until the disease forced her to stop working. “We wait until it grows and then we treat it. That’s why this research is so important to people like me.”

The ride, which began in 2005, commemorates the life of Seth Bailey of Kalona, who also suffered from sarcoma.

Saturday’s tour will start and end at Iowa Mennonite School in rural Kalona, where Bailey played basketball after being diagnosed with cancer.

Bailey competed as a varsity basketball player in his senior year of high school wearing a prosthetic leg, after his right leg was amputated just below the knee.

Bailey served as an intern for the U.S. Olympic Committee while training as a swimmer in hopes of making the Paralympic team until his cancer recurred.

He died in 2003 at age 25. The ride was organized as a tribute to Bailey and others diagnosed with cancer.

Hosted by Bicyclists of Iowa City, the ride is for both amateur and experienced bicyclists. Riders choose to ride 16, 24, 39, 67 or 95 miles.

Nearly 200 riders were registered as of early this week.

Proceeds support research at the UI’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Honorary chairman for the ride is Dr. Mohammed Milhem, who studies sarcoma and treats patients affected by the disease, including Almelien.