Above: Last year, Sandy Rossini’s friends took part in A Reason to Ride in her honor. This weekend, she’s taking on the new 5K walk for the same reason – battling cancer. (Image left from event Facebook page, right cropped from photo posted to flickr by James Petts.)
Last year, I shared news about friends riding on behalf of a Southborough mother – a lifelong town resident fighting brain cancer. A year later, Sandy Rossini (formerly Torres), is still fighting a helluva good fight. (She’s even used her fight as inspiration for a new business, with part of the proceeds going to cancer research.)
Sandy will be walking in a 5K this Sunday. Funds raised go to cancer care and research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she has been receiving her treatments.
From her fundraising page:
I can’t say enough good things about Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center which is why my family & I LOVE participating in this event. I had emergency brain surgery at BIDMC in 2013 that literally saved my life and I continue to get treatment there now. My doctors are brilliant and my nurses are the perfect combination of intelligent, experienced and caring. My fight isn’t over yet but I’m feeling pretty good and I’m hoping with more fundraising and research there will be more great groundbreaking treatment options for me and other patients like me.
So now after everything they have done and continue to do for me it’s my turn to give back! This year they added a walk! If you can, join me and my 2 daughters & walk with us! Join me in raising some money for this wonderful hospital! Plus we can take a walk together and I bet we will have a few laughs as we walk! If you can’t make it, spread the word.
To support Sandy and the efforts of Beth Israel’s cancer center, click here to make a donation.
Or to register to join the effort, click here. You can walk, bike, or even trike! Or you can cheer on the crowd and take part in festivities:
The ride will start and end in the parking lot at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, MA. Festivities kick-off at 8:00 a.m., and participants are given the choice of a 10, 25 or 50 mile ride through the scenic North Shore towns of Danvers, Wenham, Ipswich, Essex, Gloucester, and Topsfield. The day is full of music, food, raffles, and activities for the whole family. This year will mark our forth annual trike-a-thon for youngsters interested in participating in this fun day.
As for Sandy’s journey, she developed a business selling tees and more. Slogans include inspirational thoughts like “Fear is a Liar”, “Invincible”, “I believe in miracles”, and “I know I can”. Plus, some with humor, like “When life gives you lemons, make a lemon meringue pie.” Check out her site here.
You can learn more about this remarkable, resilient resident through the profile by Southborough Wicked Local this summer:
Friends of Sandie Rossini who haven’t seen her in awhile are marveled at how good she looks and the energy she has. Rossini is only 37, but three years ago there were doubts that she would reach this age.
“I should have been dead,” said Rossini, who is married and has two young daughters.
The reason? Rossini had a brain tumor the size of an apple, and it was both fast growing and mobile. It had shifted her brain from one side to the other, said doctors who discovered the cancer on Rossini’s trip to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2013. (read more)
