Be the Difference Foundation Brings ‘Wheel to Survive’ to Boulder, Colorado

To celebrate ovarian cancer survivors while raising funds for research and patient programs, the Be the Difference Foundation will present its signature “Wheel to Survive” event May 19 in Boulder, Colorado.

The indoor cycling fundraiser will be from 9 a.m. to noon at DEFINE Body & Mind fitness boutique, 2408 Arapahoe Ave.

In the last six years, some 1,500 participants in Wheel to Survive events nationwide have raised more than $2.8 million for programs to improve outcomes for a disease that has a lifetime risk of 1 in 78.

This year, an estimated 22,530 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, a rate that has slowly dropped over the last two decades, according to the American Cancer Society. Of those women, 13,980 are expected to die from the disease.

Women diagnosed with a localized-stage disease have more than a 90 percent five-year survival rate. But because of relatively subtle symptoms and the lack of an effective early detection method, four of five ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced disease.

“Our mission at Be the Difference Foundation is to create awareness and improve the lives of all people affected by ovarian cancer through education, support and research,” Jill Bach, the foundation’s president and co-founder and a 10-year ovarian cancer survivor, said in a news release.

Founded by survivors for survivors, the foundation seeks to help women increase their chances of overcoming the disease. Through donations and Wheel to Survive, it has funded research programs at institutions including the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, UT Southwestern, NYU Langone, and the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Specifically, event funding to the Lazarex Cancer Foundation helps ovarian cancer patients travel to clinical trials. It helps the Clearity Foundation provide patient tumor profiling and treatment recommendations. Funds raised also help support clinical trials for ovarian cancer patients at the Mary Crowley Cancer Research center.

The event has been held in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Boca Raton, Florida, and San Francisco, California. The most recent ride Feb. 24 in Dallas raised nearly $230,000.

Participants commit to raising $250 for each hour they ride. Cyclists can go it alone the entire event, or join a team and ride relay style. The foundation provides each rider a fundraising page for social media video and photo sharing. Bike teams are encouraged to create team T-shirts, decorate team bikes and take team pictures. Some participants ride in honor of a loved one. Go to the website  for more information.

To register for Wheel to Survive, donate, or for more information, go to the website.