We all know someone who has been touched by cancer. Once you are my age, you have, almost inevitably lost someone to the disease. My father died of brain cancer; my mother was a breast cancer survivor - and it was in her honor that I began participating in Dick's Ride Across Maryland in 2012 . Two good friends have lost their wives to cancer, and several have had close calls. This year I dedicate my efforts to another dear one who may yet have a battle to fight.

This is my fifth year riding RAM, and as I said, I began in memory of my mother, so the focus, then, on breast cancer was apt. But I am proud to continue riding now that the event has grown and the focus is on all young people affected by cancer, because surely nothing is as heartbreaking as the young lives cut inexplicably short and the upturning of whole families' lives as they deal with a young person's disease. The Ride has come fully under the auspices of the Ullman Fund this year, so you may notice everything looks a little different.

Please join me in trying to make a difference for our friends and loved ones in Maryland. And if you ride: join the team!