For the third year in a row, Doug Chesney and David Sheppard are coming together to cycle for a purpose. Doug’s mom, Denise, passed away from breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 42. Doug remembers his mother for her kindness, her passion for life and her toughness. “She taught me to dream big,” he says. And his dream was to find a way to honor his mother’s memory and the incredible impact she had on those around her.
In 2015, Doug and his close friend David joined forces and founded the Denise M. Chesney (DMC) Memorial Bike Ride. For the inaugural ride, they rode from Seattle to their alma mater, Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. The long-distance ride was a feat in and of itself, but the journey beforehand was just as big. Doug lives in Taiwan and David lives in Japan, but each year this event reunites them back in the U.S. to remember Denise’s unmatched zeal for life.
While the first ride was just Doug and David on the back roads of Washington, they’ve started inviting others to join them in honoring Denise’s spirit. For the second annual ride last year, more than 15 of their closest family and friends joined them in riding more than 100 miles from Seattle to Leavenworth, WA.
Since the inception of this event, Doug and David committed themselves to fundraising for breast cancer research and chose to raise money for BCRF. “I know that if we all come together in support of research,” Doug says, “we can be the end of breast cancer.” For the inaugural ride, they raised more than $5,000 for research and last year they raised more than $8,000.
This year’s event is special in many ways as it will mark ten years since Denise passed away. On August 12th, Doug and David will again be joined by friends and family as they ride a 50 mile loop around Lake Washington and they have set an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 for BCRF! They have planned a whole weekend of events for their supporters, starting with a spaghetti kick-off dinner and corn hole tournament on Friday and a post-ride celebration at a local restaurant where they will have a “Putt for a Cure” mini golf tournament.
We thank Doug and David for their commitment to taking research to new heights and their unwavering dedication to keeping Denise’s spirit alive. To date, they have helped us fund more than 385 hours of research in her name. Visit their fundraising page to show your support and to help them reach their goals.
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