Last year as I prepared for my ride it was all about the miles. How many miles I has cycled that week, how many big rides I had done how long each ride took and who I was riding with that day. But nothing could have prepared me for that ride down the hill and into Camp Simcha. The adrenaline was not merely due to the fact that I had accomplished 150 miles but rather the sight of hundreds of sick children and their counselors with smiles on their faces, eager to join in our accomplishment and make it their day too. There was not a dry eye as we watched them all dance, some in wheelchairs, some with the help of their counselors, all with an indescribable joy.  The name Camp Simcha is so appropriate, for although these children all face so many challenges on a daily basis it is truly the happiest place on earth.

When I received the dates for this year’s ride my wife and I immediately realized that this date coincided with the yartzeit of our dear son Duvie a”h. Our initial reaction was for me to forgo the ride this year as the thought of me doing anything on that day was too difficult to fathom. However, when I thought back to that day and those children, who don’t get to choose which day they want to face their challenges, I realized that although it may be difficult emotionally, I too could rise to the challenge. What better way to memorialize my son than by giving a child the chance to enjoy the Summer of his or her lifetime.

 I am therefore dedicating this year’s ride Lzecher Nishmas Chaim Dovid ben Aryeh Yissachar.

Thank you for supporting me, and in doing so, helping children and their families cope with the diagnosis, treatment, and aftermath of serious pediatric illness.