Help With Brain Cancer Research This Weekend

Cancer has affected most of us at one time or another. Some people take their experiences and use them as inspiration to help fight it. Meet Olivia Dietzel.

A few weeks ago my buddy, John, messaged me to ask if I had seen the Telegraph Herald article on her.

Olivia is a great athlete. Her father, Dennis, was a lover of sports and inspired her to compete. He was her biggest cheerleader, and during her many athletic events would be waiting at each checkpoint to cheer her on.

Sadly, he passed away on May 24th of this year.

Almost 7 years ago Dennis was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a very invasive and aggressive grade IV tumor of the brain.

From what Olivia told me, the dude was a fighter. While he wasn't given great odds, he continued to push and beat cancer with determination.

Last year Olivia started a fundraising effort in advance of a triathlon she was participating in. It was dubbed "Mind Over Matter," and with the help of her dad raised an amazing $31,000 for brain cancer research through the University of Iowa Hospital.

This Saturday, September 12th, Olivia will be hosting her latest event.

"Mind Over Matter: Ride For a Cure" will see Olivia and friends riding from her home in Dickeyville, Wisconsin to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City... a trip her father took numerous times over his 6 and a half year battle with cancer.

It's a 130 mile trip and she plans to leave her parents home in Dickeyville at 6am, stopping at the flood wall in Dubuque to pick up other riders before continuing on to Iowa City.

Do you want to ride? Sure, you can do that! You can learn more at her Goldrush crowdfunding page for all the details. (You can also reach out to her directly at odietzel@alumni.nd.edu or call her at 563.513.7651.)

What might be easier for most of us, though, is to simply make a cash donation through the page. Olivia has a $15,000 goal and has just passed the $11,000 mark.

Think about the people that you've lost in your life and make a donation in their honor.

Meeting Olivia, I can tell you first hand she seems to have the determination to beat brain cancer... and with your help, maybe she can!

~CMF