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SAN BERNADINO COUNTY SUN, DECEMBER 23, 2006
www.sbsun.com
Woman hitting the road to fight brother's cancer
Andrew Silva, Staff Writer
As Michelle Thompson stood on the pedals to push her bicycle up a long, gentle hill on old Route 66 just west of Ludlow on Friday afternoon, her odometer turned over to 2,200 miles.
Two months ago, the 35-year-old business consultant left her parents' home near Chicago to ride most of the historic "Mother Road" on a grinding 2,400-mile journey to Costa Mesa.
Is she one of those cardiovascular goddesses out for a challenge? A fanatical Route 66 buff?
Hardly. An absolute noncyclist, she didn't buy her gear, including a 21-speed touring bike and a "Bob" bike trailer, until three days before she hit the road.
The trip, only three weeks from conception to rolling down her parents' driveway, is to raise both awareness of oral cancer and money for her 48-year-old brother, who's struggling with the devastating effects of the disease.
"He's the kind of brother, if you spent 10 minutes with him, you'd know why I was out here," she said while taking a short break at the cafe in Ludlow on National Trails Highway just off Interstate 40 about 50 miles east of Barstow.
For example, on her 17th birthday, he towed a classic white 1965 Mustang to Kentucky where she was vacationing with their parents as a present.
A talented car mechanic who lives in Costa Mesa, John Thompson had a second radical surgery in July to remove part of his jaw and tongue.
He's been using a feeding tube ever since, and can barely talk.
"I got to talk to him about three weeks after the surgery ... His wife said he had just come back from a mile walk," Michelle said. "He can't eat, drink or swallow, and he's walking a mile a day ... I'm a completely healthy person. There's no reason I can't do this."
John has been worried about getting back to his job managing a small garage and frets about keeping up with his house payments.
So Michelle hit on the idea of some kind of fundraiser, which evolved into riding across the country to raise money and to see him by Christmas.
Her family members were not thrilled with the idea, and in fact, were downright worried.
"My brother told me it's hard enough in a car," she said.
With a touch of luck, she stumbled on to Lon Haldeman, who pioneered ultraendurance cycling in the early 1980s as the winner of the first two installments of the Race Across America. Haldeman now runs a cross-country touring service out of Wisconsin.
"He grilled me," she said. He wanted to make sure she didn't get herself killed.
Haldeman provided the route maps that made the trip possible.
She planned to make 50 miles a day, towing her trusty "Bob" trailer.
On a tight budget, she tried to camp as much as possible, but sometimes Mother Nature put the kibosh on that idea, wreaking havoc with her schedule and her finances.
A blizzard in New Mexico forced her into a motel for four days.
And a few weeks ago, she ran smack into another storm as she was about to cross into Arizona. Fortunately, she was near a truck stop and got a ride from a woman there back to Gallup, N.M.
"I've encountered nothing but kindness that has just humbled me," she said.
She learned that lesson early on when a police officer in Illinois escorted her along a dark, dangerous road to make sure she got safely to a campground.
And the Route 66 community has practically adopted her, providing guidance and support, including an occasional place to stay.
But the cold weather has been brutal, and there are times when the solitude is pressing.
"Climbing Black Mountain (in Arizona), it's getting dark; you can feel the temperature plummeting; my phone doesn't work; if I get a flat, (while trying to change it) my hands will freeze. That's when you become aware you're alone. That's when the cold scares me," she said.
There are few profound thoughts on the road.
"Oh my god, I have to go up that? Oh my god, the wind..." she said, laughing. "Food. I think about food ... I'm now the kind of person (who goes for) a hot dog in a gas station for breakfast."
She hopes to make it to Rialto by tonight, putting her within striking distance of her goal to see her brother by Christmas.
Her sister, Donna Thompson-Becker, 47, also of Costa Mesa, met her just this side of Needles and is now carrying the trailer in her car for the last few legs.
A friend in Chicago (Alison Otto) keeps up the Web site, and the entire family has provided assistance.
Information on making donations is on her Web site, www.route2outsmartcancer.com.
Michelle refuses to complain about the tough days behind her, given what her brother is going through, and she treasures the entire journey.
Especially fine were those rare days, like one in New Mexico, when friends (Sara & Lee Snyder) met her on the road, took her trailer, and she was able to just ride. No wind, feeling strong, spectacular scenery.
"That's one of those days that get you through the next five," she said. "I can think about how lucky I am to be out there trying to help my brother."
Contact writer Andrew Silva at andrew.silva@sbsun.com or at (909) 386-3889.
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