Olivia Newton-John's recent death from metastatic breast cancer put a well-known face on the horrific disease, a disease that has been striking down women for many years - with most of those women many years younger than our beloved Olivia.

My first Tour de Pink ride was in 2006 with my beloved and dear sister-from-another-mother Diana Di Mare. 10 years later, I lost - the world lost - Diana due to metastatic breast cancer. Perhaps her face wasn't as well known as Olivia's but by God I can tell you Diana's smile lit up a room 100 times more than Olivia's.

The sad reality, though, is that it takes two hands for me to count the number of women I've met through Tour de Pink who are no longer with us because of breast cancer. Two hands. The most recent happened just last month: Maureen who dealt with metastatic breast cancer for over eight years before succumbing to it. That one hurt but then again, they all do.

I was there on Maureen's first Tour and it was her passing that inspired me to sign up to ride again this year to help raise money for the young breast cancer community through Young Survival Coalition (YSC). And while I've ridden in the Tour numerous times, this will be my first time riding in it under its revised name of the Tour de Pink Lisa J. Frank Memorial Ride. Lisa co-founded the ride and it was an honor to be able to call her a friend. She lived and loved fiercely and unapologetically and has been missed every single second since her untimely passing in December 2020 from metastatic breast cancer.

The role call of women I've known who are no longer here because of breast cancer could go on and on. With your support, I'll honor their memories at Tour de Pink and help in the much-needed work to bring an end to that roll call.

Thank you in advance for your support. I truly appreciate your kindness and amount of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters or dollars you can part with.

In peace and good health,
Natasha