Medical students cycle to raise money for leukemia research

Imagine a summer spent traveling the country, visiting famous sites, viewing beautiful landscapes and meeting interesting people.

Then imagine it on a bicycle, often riding more than 100 miles a day, perhaps in 100 degree heat, up steep inclines or across never-ending flatness.

That's how UConn Medical School students Benjamin Ristau and Jeremiah Tracy spent this past summer.

The literal highs and lows of their trip, "Coast to Coast for a Cure," were well worth it: they raised more than $20,000 for Lea's Foundation for Leukemia Research.

"The Coast to Coast Bike Ride for Lea's Foundation has been one of the most meaningful things that I have done in my young life," says Ristau.

"Not only was I able to spend an entire summer outside, touring the country, but I was also able to raise a tremendous amount of money for a great cause."

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 118,000 new cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma will be diagnosed in 2006. These diseases are expected to result in nearly 54,000 deaths this year.

Tracy knows that all too well.

This bike trip was dedicated to the memory of his mother, Elizabeth Herman Tracy, who had a rare form of leukemia. The loss shaped his life.

"When my mother passed away, I was a senior in high school and had not even envisioned a career in medicine," says Tracy.

While he was an undergraduate at Wesleyan University, he immersed himself in basic cell biology research.

After graduating, Tracy held a research position at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he took part in developing safer treatments for a variety of different forms of leukemia.

After completing his first year of medical school at UConn, Tracy was eager to undertake a new commitment in remembrance of his mother. Ristau was up for the challenge, too.

After a send-off from Health Center staff on June 28, the pair flew out to San Francisco to start the first leg of their journey.