70 Days of Bicycling 'From the Atlantic to the Pacific' Against Cancer

This summer, over 100 cyclists and runners voluntarily traveled a distance of 4,000 kilometers to aid in cancer prevention and treatment. This initiative has been organized for several years by a non-governmental organization called '4,000 Kilometers for Cancer.' This year, Shervin Heydarbeigi, a 25-year-old computer planner residing in the suburbs of Washington, was the only Iranian-American in the group who cycled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific in memory of his mother, Violet Grossi, who lost her battle with cancer a few years ago. The result of this voluntary journey was the collection of nearly one million dollars for cancer prevention, treatment, and combat. Radio Farda interviewed Shervin Heydarbeigi about the ups and downs, messages, and lessons of this journey. Mr. Heydarbeigi, tell us about your journey. Where did it start and where did it end? We cycled for seventy days from Baltimore in the east of America to Seattle in the west, covering almost 4,000 kilometers by bicycle. How many days did it take? It took seventy days. How many kilometers did you cover each day? Between 30 to 110 kilometers a day. Did you cycle every day of the week or take weekends off? It was part of the plan to take one day off each week to rest. Usually, we rested in a large city. Had you cycled before participating in this cancer prevention and treatment initiative? Honestly, not much. I started cycling more when I decided to join this program to prepare myself for the journey. About six to eight months before we set off, I cycled for one to three hours almost every day to be ready by summer. Had you engaged in sports before this, or did you start exercising for this journey? Honestly, I didn't consider myself an athlete before this. I did various sports occasionally, but not this intensely. This was the first time I had a specific plan and was mapping it out because I had to be ready for the day we were supposed to start. When did your journey start and when did it end? We set off on the morning of June 5 and arrived in Seattle on the afternoon of August 13. During this long journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers over seventy days, did you ever feel exhausted on the climbs and want to stop? When we were in the mountains, I thought I couldn't finish. But in the end, one must decide for oneself whether to do something, regardless of how hard it is, how much it hurts, or how hot it is outside. One must give oneself a sense of motivation to accomplish this. Since I was in a group of about twenty people, most of whom were my age, they helped me a lot. We supported each other, and not being alone was a significant help in accomplishing this. How about the other cyclists? Did any of them feel they couldn't continue at some point, and did you have to wait for or help them? Yes, there were times when someone was very tired or had leg pain, or there was a mechanical issue, but since we were a team, we always stopped to help. Several people in the group were skilled at fixing bikes. We tried to finish as much as we could each day, even if we didn't finish on time due to various incidents. You are a professional computer planner. How did you convince your managers to allow you to take time off work? I was very lucky because I have a good relationship with my bosses and colleagues at the company I work for. When I told them I wanted to participate in this fundraising program for cancer, they all fully supported me, and my colleagues agreed to cover for me during my absence. And it worked out well. So, all those half-days added up to cover your work? Yes, I had been saving my leave since I started working. I took a portion of my summer leave, and after that, my colleagues helped me. How many other volunteer cyclists joined you in this journey between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans? You mentioned there were twenty of you. Were all of those who participated this time part of that group, or were you part of a larger group? We are part of a larger group. We are one of six groups. Our group starts from Baltimore and finishes in Seattle after ten weeks. There are three other groups that also start from Baltimore but finish their journeys in different cities in the West. Two other groups start in San Francisco and run to the East. All these groups are fundraising for support. How many people were in total across these six groups? There were about a little over 100 of us, all between the ages of 18 to 25, and I think they are all students from various universities across the country. How much money did you raise in total? The last time I checked, it was just under one million dollars. What made you think about helping in cancer prevention and treatment? I decided to participate in this program in memory of my mother (Violet Grossi), who passed away from cancer about two years ago. Did your mother also cycle? Yes, she enjoyed cycling, and when I learned about this program where young people could help those with cancer, I thought it was a great way to show my support for her and for others. Do you have plans for similar trips in the coming years? I don't think I will do the same program in the U.S. again, but I am planning to do something similar in other countries. I don't necessarily need to do it through a program or a group; I can go alone or with a small group of friends who enjoy cycling. I am thinking of doing something like this next summer, perhaps in Europe or somewhere else where I can cycle across countries. What is the message of your journey? My message is that when we think not just of ourselves but also help others, the impact of what we can do is much greater than when we only think of ourselves. For others who might be inspired by hearing this conversation to do similar work to fight cancer or other diseases or pursue other goals, what advice do you have? What lesson did you learn from this experience? A simple thing one can do is just donate money to a program or organization and say, 'Go help others.' But I believe, as I learned this summer, one of the greatest helps is to go and get to know the people you want to help. Go talk to them and understand what is really happening in their lives. Sometimes just talking to someone or listening to their life story and sharing a bit of your own can be significant. I think sometimes that can be more impactful than financial help. During the summer, we visited hospitals or cancer centers several times, talked to people, brought them gifts or blankets, or cooked food for them. But being able to meet these people, who you wouldn't normally get to know, is a significant act. When we tell them we are cycling across the country to help others, I think that itself is a great help for them. Now we can help even more. We can raise money for programs and encourage everyone to contribute. But my suggestion is: go get to know them, talk to them, and learn from them.