Road to Victories

Our team – posing proud – near the Manhattan Beach Pier, our starting line in 2017.

For me, this Road to Victories ride is both a mission and a celebration. As a myeloma patient, I’m celebrating because 3 years post Stem Cell Transplant, I’m able to do this. I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to continue to respond to my current therapy. Immersed in the myeloma world, I am reminded daily of how common it is to relapse. There is not a second that I take that for granted. So I want to live big and make a big difference doing it! This ride is about making each day count, not just for me, but for every myeloma patient looking for a new line of treatment. The funds raised from this ride are ear-marked for the transformational research that may bring us the miracle we are all looking for – A CURE! (and because this disease is a clever and aggressive one, we need many treatment strategies to get there.)

Randi Schwartz living fear-lessly! — Training for the 2019 ride with fellow MM warrior Carmen Phaneuf (R) and MMRF advocate and R2V team member Alicia O’Neill

This is one of many events that I have done for the MMRF and the second long-distance ride I am doing with this amazing organization. (In 2017, I was fortunate to be part of the inaugural R2V team, riding the first leg of a cross country ride, from LA to Flagstaff, 540 miles in all.) I continue to put in the miles with the MMRF because they have proven to go the distance, over and over again, identifying new and innovative treatments, and dramatically accelerating the rate that new and desperately needed treatments come to market. Thanks to the MMRF changing the landscape of treatment options, the three to five year prognosis for most patients is “old news.” That being said, so many are deeply struggling with this disease, enduring debilitating pain and treatments. And, we all live with the constant uncertainty of the disease’s return.

So, my joy and mission is to be out riding in a beautiful part of our country, united with others who are intimately and passionately connected to this cause. Together, we are taking on the challenge of testing our limits, as well as the limits of science. We are grateful for the generosity of the human hearts who are willing to support us in this adventurous effort.

At the start of the 2017 inaugural Road to Victories Ride

I will be out there riding those miles with the spirit in my heart and mantra in my head….to “Fear-less, love more and live generously!” My hope is for great outcomes and celebration for all myeloma patients.

To learn more and support my ride visit: https://endurance.themmrf.org/R2VVermont/Randi