on the path
By Kate Anderson
Keep Pedaling Brother’s cancer diagnosis inspires Pelotonia rider to step up fundraising
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helmet and rode just a few miles. Now, she’s ridden in Pelotonia for 11 years and completed 100- and 200-mile rides. Although Wilson began riding and fundraising with Pelotonia in an effort to be more philanthropic, the event has come to mean much more for her and her family. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson’s brother, Jeff Wirthman, was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. In order to care for her brother, Wilson helped him move from Florida to Ohio where he now receives treatments at
the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Though Wilson has always worked hard to raise as much as she can to support Pelotonia’s mission of funding cancer research, the 2021 ride was different. After Wirthman began receiving treatment at the James and saw what Wilson did with Pelotonia, he wanted to help. With a new personal stake in the matter and the strength of a sibling partner, Wilson came at the fundraising with renewed intensity. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Jennie Wilson
F
or many participants, Pelotonia is much more than one weekend of cycling. The annual cancer fundraiser encourages a year-round community and has become an emblem of the drive to make a difference. For Jennie Wilson, who rides with Girls With Gears cycling group, the inspiration for participating becomes closer to her heart and personal life each year she rides. Before even owning a bike, Wilson began participating in Pelotonia at the urging of a friend. On that first ride, she borrowed her son’s bike, wore a ski
Wilson and friends from Girls With Gears prepare for a ride.
