Survivor and Thriver:

Page Temple, Bellevue, WA

For many, a bicycle is a means of transportation, a way to spare the air from carbon emissions or a weekend hobby.  For Page Temple, it’s a daily reminder to look beyond her own limitations.

At age 19, Temple was admitted to the hospital for tests.  A chest x-ray showed a shadow, but no conclusive diagnosis was made.  Four years later, Temple was back in the hospital where a carcinoid tumor was discovered on one of her lungs.  Carcinoid tumors, a type of slow-growing cancer, rarely present signs or symptoms until late in the disease. Initially, doctors thought they could save her lung, but in the end Temple was left with only one. 

“No one could tell me the cause of the tumor,” Temple recalled. Her doctor told her to go live her life. “And so I thought ‘That’s done, let’s get on with it’.”

And that’s what Temple did.  She bought a bicycle.  “Buying that bicycle opened up my life. I saw the world in a new way and different way to explore life.  I saw what’s in the world, not what I am in the world,” said Temple.

A few years ago, Temple’s trainer told her about the American Lung Association in Washington’s Trek Tri-Island, a three-day ride through the San Juan Islands.  Trek appealed to Temple on two levels: the physical challenge of preparing for the ride and the cause that it supports, lung disease. 

Temple was not interested in considering herself to be a victim because she had only one lung. “I was riding to prove a point,” she said. “I’ve learned from my experience to look beyond limits and focus on what I can do. Several years ago I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu in Peru. It was slow going but I paced my breath to my step and made it the whole way - and there were even people in the group slower than I was!”

This year marked her third Trek ride.  She raised close to $2,000 for this year’s Trek and says it’s easy to fundraise because the cause is so relevant to her life.  She just reaches out to people and tells them her story.

In turn, Trek provides Temple with a community of others touched by lung disease.  She says she looks for gifts among the challenging experiences in her life.  Meeting new people and hearing their stories is a gift of the Trek experience.

Temple says, “I don’t think of myself as someone living with lung disease. I conquered lung disease and I’m just a person living with one lung.”

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Veteran Fundraiser and Trekker:

Cherese Timmer, Olympia, WA

For American Lung Association in Washington veteran volunteer and event participant, Cherese Timmer, volunteering is a way of life.  She began in high school by raising $1000 by roller skating for 8 hours.  Decades later she cycled from Seattle to San Francisco in ALA in Washington’s Big Ride Pacific Coast to raise $10,000.  Cherese has always found a way to integrate her love of physical activity into her passion for helping those with lung disease and to prevent kids from smoking.

In 1999 Cherese’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.  Her mother quit her lifelong smoking habit right then, but it was too late.  One year later, despite chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she passed away. 

Shortly after her mother died, Cherese received a Trek Tri-Island mailing.  She rode that year in honor of her mother.  In 2003, Cherese lost her godmother to complications resulting from a lifetime smoking habit. That year she rode Trek in honor of her godmother.

Because of these very personal losses, Cherese is passionate about ALA’s work in tobacco prevention. “I really believe in ALA’s mission to prevent kids from smoking.  I like the TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) program. Their advocacy work in smokefree public places is important, too.” 

Cherese’s latest event in support of this work is the 2009 Trek Tri-Island, a three-day bike ride through the San Juan Islands on September 19 – 21. 

“Trek is an excellent way to support preventive classes and research vital to this cause.”

“This time of year the Northwest really shines,” Cherese says.  “Trek is a family reunion and mini-vacation.  There’s amazing people, beautiful scenery, great food and support from ALA staff and volunteers.” 

She is excited about this year’s course options that include a challenging route for experienced riders and then a less intimidating one for beginners or those who prefer to take their time while taking in the scenery. 

Last year Cherese was the highest fundraiser for Trek and she would like to earn that distinction again this year. There is little doubt she can. To date, Cherese has raised an astonishing $60,000 for American Lung Association in Washington programs.

Cherese attributes her success to her very hands-on approach to fundraising.  While she sends out emails and letters, she also makes phone calls to her supporters—all 250 of them.  “It’s important to have that personal touch,” she says.  She sends out handwritten thank you notes as well.  

Cherese’s desire to help those in her community extends into her professional life. She has been a registered nurse for 25 years and currently works at Providence St. Peter, a non-profit hospital in Olympia with a staff who has supported her fundraising over the years.

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Have Bike, Will Travel...for a Good Cause:

Scot Torrey & Tierney Cortes-Torrey, Portland, OR

Scot Torrey and his wife Tierney Cortes-Torrey enjoy an active life in Portland, Oregon that includes participating in local bicycling events. And Portland has many. 

But when the couple learned about Trek Tri-Island, a three-day ride through the scenic San Juan Islands in Washington, they saw their chance to take a ride down memory lane.  “My wife and I had one of our first dates kayaking through the islands and are always eager to go back. The Trek combined the San Juans and one of our favorite outdoor activities. Supporting a great cause made it a trifecta,” said Scot. 

But the Torreys’ participation in the event became more meaningful when in June of this year Scot’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.  She passed away a month later. At the same time, Scot’s stepfather was battling with the same disease. Within weeks, Trek had become a meaningful opportunity for the couple to help other individuals and their families fighting lung cancer. 

Together they raised $1,100 in donations to the American Lung Association in Alaska, Idaho and Washington, whose mission is to promote lung health and prevent lung disease. 

“ALA is a good cause because I can’t imagine anything worse than not being able to breathe,” said Scot.  “The hardest thing I’ve had to do is watch my mother struggle for breath during her short battle with lung cancer.” 

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Trekker Susan Weaver recalls her amazing experience in this descriptive article from Adventure Cyclist.