Regarding my Special PMC
“Chai” Jersey
As I
prepare to ride in my 5th PMC on August 1st and 2nd,
I’d like to tell you about something special I’ve done each year on Day 2 for
the PMC and will do again for this year’s ride.
As
in other years, during the second leg from Bourne to Provincetown, I will ride
wearing a special cycling jersey, which I call my “Chai” jersey. The jersey itself is made by a cycling
apparel company called Voler (pronounced Vōh-Lāy, rhymes with
Olé!). The way it works is that I choose
one of their jersey designs, design the front and back artwork and then upload
the artwork to their web site. From there,
it takes them about a week to produce the jersey and ship it to me. Here’s what the final 2008 artwork looked
like. Pretty cool, huh?
But
what makes my Chai jersey really special to me are the names.
On
the front is one name – Harriet Zarkower, aka “Kappy”. That’s my mom, and she passed away on
November 1, 1998 from complications related to her treatments for Breast
Cancer.
The
graphics across the top of the front are: the Stem Cell Cyclists (that’s my PMC
team) logo; the Hebrew symbol “Chai” symbolizing life; and a PMC logo. Under my mom’s name is a “wheel” with
“spokes” of multi-colored ribbons that represent the major types of
Cancer. The PMC logo is the “hub.” A
lone cyclist rides along the wheel, representing the never-ending quest of PMC
cyclists to rid the world of Cancer. Just below the wheel are the simple words
“Beat Cancer!” along with my PMC route and the dates of that year’s ride. At
the very bottom are words from the Jewish Talmud - “to save a life is as if you
have saved the world.” It’s there
because in this context, quite literally, that’s the bottom line.
On
the back of my jersey are the names of people who have been stricken by Cancer,
arranged over a “Chai” watermark. In
2008, there were 45 names. They are friends, relatives, colleagues and
ex-colleagues. They are moms, dads, brothers and sisters. They are young and old. Some are living and some are not. Some are currently fighting Cancer, some are
in remission, and some have beaten it outright. And as I ride in the PMC, these
names are always in my thoughts. In
fact, I like to think that they are riding with me and I am riding for life
(Chai), which explains the text above the names. Their courage gives me a
strong push along the final 82 miles to Provincetown and really helps me to
crest some of the nastier hills as well as the strong headwinds along Rte 6 as
we approach the finish.
Theses
names are on the back of my jersey because someone chose to honor them by
donating $90 or more to my ride. $90 is a lot to donate, but then again, Cancer
research and treatment costs a lot of money.
For what it’s worth, $90 is a little less than 47¢
a mile for each mile I ride.
It’s
also worth mentioning that the tribute is everlasting. Once someone’s name is on my jersey, it’s
always there whether the sponsor contributes each year or never again.
Wearing my jersey during the 2008 PMC
If
you would like to become a “Chai” donor and honor a Cancer victim by having
their name on the back of my jersey, all you have to do is send me your
honoree’s name when you make your online eGift or send me your check and I will
add that person’s name. If it’s
appropriate and if you are comfortable with it, I will also send a note to that
person or their family to indicate that you honored them in this way through
your contribution to my ride. I hope you
will consider making this special gesture.
It’s really an all-around win-win.
It honors someone you care about, it makes you feel good, it makes them
or their family feel good and it helps my fundraising, which of course is put
to use towards something we all want – an end to Cancer.
There
are two ways to for you to do your part to “Beat Cancer” and honor someone you
care about:
- Visit my PMC page at http://www.pmc.org/mypmc/profiles.asp?Section=story&eGiftID=JZ0013
and use your credit card to make a secure eGift of $90 or more. Include
the person’s name you are honoring in your note. Simple and quick.
- Send me an email at jlz128@aol.com letting me know you’d be
willing to sponsor my ride and would like to honor someone. I’ll send you instructions from there.
Not as quick, but still simple.
In
any case, thanks for reading my note, and I’ll see you on the road! J
Sincerely,
-JZ