The Start of TEAL on WHEELS

So happy to have you stop by and learn more about TEAL on WHEELS, my cross country ovarian cancer awareness tour.

In April, 2019, I stopped by one of the local Harley Davidson dealers and and saw a teal and white 2016 Heritage Classic. I had seen the bike about a year earlier when I was looking for a used motorcycle for my husband, Charlie. Charlie and I had rented motorcycles on a couple of vacations to Arizona, but he had never owned one. I thought it would be fun to ride together in Maine, so I was on the search for a good used bike for him when I first saw Harley’s vintage style teal and white bike. The salesman pointed it out to me and I said, “There’s no way my husband would ride that. Look at the colors!”

So, a year later when I saw that same bike sitting there in the collection of used bikes for sale, my wheels starting spinning. Teal is ovarian cancer’s color, just like pink is the color that represents breast cancer. Every cancer has its own unique color. I thought if I could get that teal bike, I could ride around spreading awareness about ovarian cancer. That’s when the idea for TEAL on WHEELS first began. I didn’t have a name for it, but I knew it was something I needed to do. It wasn’t until I shared my idea with my friend Margaret Mastrangelo, who is a 4-year ovarian cancer survivor, that the name TEAL on WHEELS came into being. Margaret came up with it and at first I really didn’t like it all that much, but I had nothing else to call my grand adventure, so I just started calling it TEAL on WHEELS and it stuck. Now, it seems like the perfect name!

I launched a fundraising campaign on May 8, World Ovarian Cancer Day, with a goal of raising $50,000! Some of the money would be used to offset expenses for the month-long trip I was planning across the country, but most of the money, about 80% will be donated to three cancer non-profit organizations in October 2019. The first non-profit I will be donating to is Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), the largest global charitable organization dedicated to advancing ovarian cancer research. OCRA is headquartered in New York, NY.  The second non-profit is Turning the Tide Ovarian Cancer Retreats, which offers ovarian cancer patients in the northeast the opportunity to come together for 5 days at Camp Kieve, a beautiful lake-front setting in Maine. The last non-profit that I will be donating money to is the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center located in Ellsworth, Maine.  This organization offers hope, knowledge, and support for people living with cancer and their friends and families.  They are acting as my fiscal agent and are handling all donations given to TEAL on WHEELS.