Welcome to my fundraising page for Tour de Rhody. I'm excited to challenge myself on the hills of northwestern Rhode Island this September in support of cancer research. I hope you are able to contribute in support of my ride.
My name is Jill Costello and I am riding for Team Lifespan! In 2023, my sister was diagosed with multiple Hepatic Adenomas, a rare benign tumor on the liver often associated with oral contraceptives. Because the largest tumor was hemorrhaging, my sister was told she needed surgery. In October 2023, my sister had an embolization and a liver ressection to remove the grapefruit-size tumor from her liver. While her team was confident the tumor was benign upon her original diagonosis, her pathology report showed that the tumor contained Hepacellular Carcinoma (HCC), which is very rare for hepatic adenomas. My sister has been a patient of the Lifespan Cancer Institute at Miriam since and has received the best care from her team of doctors. I am appreciative of the doctors at Lifespan for taking care of my sister and making sure she continues to be as healthy as can be! I am riding to make sure people's loved one's are safe and healthy too. I cannot imagine a world without my sissy and the Lifespan Cancer Institute makes sure that I don't have to.
Tour de Rhody #6
Tour de Rhody is a road and gravel cycling tour to support cancer research in Rhode Island. This year we will again start and finish at beautiful Salisbury Farm at 11 Peck Hill Rd. in Johnston, RI. The ride will take place on the morning of September 22, 2024, with a rolling start.
Rides range from around 15 miles on road or gravel to a full metric gravel century. There are pure road and mostly gravel (dirt roads that at time border on trail) routes. Routes can be challenging and the gravel routes explore historic areas around the Scituate Reservoir. These roads are closed to the public and the Providence Water Supply Board has graciously offered us one day access.
The ride supports the trials designed by the Brown University Oncology Group and the event itself is graciously hosted by the Lifespan Cancer Institute. These trials give patients access to groundbreaking new therapies and other new and emerging cancer treatments at various stages of diagnosis and across many cancer types.
In its first year in 2019, Tour de Rhody raised over $18,000. We continue to grow substantially each year with your support and by 2024 have raised over $400,000. Let's see where we can go from here!
Tour de Rhody has become a key fundraiser to support cancer research in Rhode Island. Since 2019, over $400,000 has been raised to support cancer clinical trials in Rhode Island designed through the Brown University Oncology Research Group. The Lifespan Cancer Institute graciously sponsors the event itself. Tour de Rhody supports investigator initiated trials, that is where physicians and researchers are the ones developing and designing the trials, that directly benefit Rhode Islanders. These trials lead to the discoveries advancing new cancer treatments and cures worldwide