Passionately Pink for the Cure, Komen Headquarters, Dallas TX

Well, that was a whirlwind trip. I flew out after work on Thursday night and arrived in Dallas TX. After finding my shuttle driver and a somewhat wild ride, I arrived at the hotel at 11 pm. Just in time to grab a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant before they closed. It was hard to sleep. With the travelling and the anticipation of Friday's events, I was up early Friday morning. I first met Stephanie, my ride to the shoot and "The Direct Marketing Coordinator"; she is basically the glue that holds the band together to help produce this marketing campaign.

Then I met the awesome Douglas GA crew. These ladies were the stars of the show. They were very excited to be there and stepped off the elevator in all pink, with feather boas, hats, and pink wigs. Pretty much all the pink accessories to scream Breast Cancer Awareness for the shoot. It was amazing.

We arrived at the studio, with a cast of other P.P. teams from around Texas. After a short tour of what's what's and who's who's, we hung out and waited our turn to go film and take still photos. It was all very Hollywood. We had a hair and makeup lady, who was very good and very nice. She made us all look good. Important, since the still photographer was shooting us with a Hasselblad H2 large format with a digital back. Basically a 40 million! pixel camera. It picks up everything.

I got scolded for not bringing my helmet and motorcycle jacket to Texas. They asked for a leather jacket. I think they think I ride a Harley? I don't. I then explained what a textile moto jacket is and that trying to transport my beat-up moto helmet could have caused a problem with security at the airport. (I got searched once without it.) I also told them I would have gladly ridden the bike to TX for the shoot. It's just under a 1000 miles. I can knock that off in a day. They looked at me like I was crazy and laughed.

The shoot.....
and the green screen.

The green screen -- I guess this is what the weather man uses? Not sure, but I was told they are going to superimpose Komen breast cancer awareness photos beind me and the others and edit all the video they shot and make us all sound literate. I read a bunch of lines and we did a short Q and A about the ride -- what I did with the ride and how I felt about it. They also asked me what the color pink meant to me. They asked what pink made me think of before Kris was diagnosed and what it meant to me after she was diagnosed. That was a hard question, but I told the interviewer the truth. Before my sister got cancer, pink was the color of Polo shirts worn by Frat guys up in Athens GA. I know it's a bit harsh and strange for me to say, but it's the truth. Now, pink is a color of hope for me. I've used it on the bike, and it definately stands out and makes people realize we are united together for a common goal, which is to find a cure for breast cancer.

A few things I came away with. One is the perception that since so many women have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it is somehow easier to treat and 100% successful all the time. This is a huge myth. Breast cancer is still very, very difficult to treat. Not everyone just flies through it without any issues. This point was made at the shoot. Just because of the high rate of breast cancer diagnosis and the huge awarenss that so many folks bring to this disease, it is not a lesser cancer or easier to treat. It's hard to explain. Basically, it's not any less harsh or easy to deal with. It's a rough road and any survivor will tell you as much.
Another take-away is that all the money we raise benefits our local Komen affiliate here in Atlanta as well as national programs. I was given so much information that I almost forgot this -- between this year and last year, we have raised more than $11,000 so far. You should all feel very proud and take the time to consider that your generosity goes a long way in helping to provide others with information and help in seeking and getting treatment. It's a really big thing to give away money to help others. It can be looked at like an investment in the future for our friends and family. To help promote healthy living for everyone. No one should have to stop their life for a year or years to try and stay alive because of cancer. We can all help and so far we have made a difference.

So all in all, I had a great time and an awesome experience. The Komen folks were terrific, and I'm really proud to be a part of the Komen team. Stay tuned for more information about the campaign and upcoming events for our ride.

Things have been way more challenging this year. Getting started, getting all the new folks together and the logistics straight has been so very hard. Not having Brooke by my side and helping with all her great ideas is probably the biggest problem. She made things happen last year and it shows big time this year. I do have Broccoli dog with me 24/7 but he has no thumbs and can't write code for the website, so really he is just here for support. I have been given some great ideas from the new group this year and Curt has put together a good bunch of folks to do the ride. I'm going to be posting a new page about who is riding and what their reasons are very soon.

Some rather big news is Susan G. Komen has asked that I participate in a photo shoot with a group of other Passionately Pink supporters, including folks from a small town outside of Atlanta (have you heard of Douglas?) whose entire town went Passionately Pink. Talk about logistics. Maybe I should get their help!

The photo shoot should be very fun and give me a little morale boost and help me remember that we are all part of something very big. That what we as a group are doing in supporting this ride is to help save lives and give hope to our neighbors, friends and family who have been affected by Breast Cancer. And as before, this seems to be everyone I have talked to. From Atlanta all the way to the Arctic.

My motorbike is ready, sitting idle at the shop.

Little Known Fact

Let's for a day try to imagine a world without Susan G. Komen for the Cure, without the American Cancer Society (ACS), or the 5K runs or the 3 day walks, or without ATLtotheArctic. So, we would be left with doctors and patients. Well ok, so that's how it was in the past. There was less money, less people to support our loved ones, less research trying to find a cure or a drug or a treatment to help save lives.

Let's face it -- cancer is a disease that kills people. It is found in the likes of Lance Armstrong -- I mean he might as well be super man. It's also found in the likes of my sister -- a young, healthy, mother of five kids, with no family history of breast cancer. I hope you get my point: Cancer does not discriminate.

So, while my oddball motorcycle ride and this website might confuse some folks, to me it is a way to help fund research, to help give hope, and to provide a positive outreach for anyone affected by breast cancer, directly or indirectly. The ride is a tool to help raise more money, more hope, and more awareness about a disease that is almost taken for granted at this point. Maybe the ride will help to find a cure, or a less brutal treatment, or . . . Who knows?

I have a personal example to share. A little known fact about me, Daniel Palazzolo: I had two heart surgeries before I turned 18 months old. (I just turned 30 during last year's ride, and I'm feeling great.) Why heart surgery so young? I was born with a heart defect that prevented my heart from functioning properly. And in 1980, the fix for my heart defect was basically to re-plumb the way it worked using a synthetic shunt within the heart itself. But now, in the current day and age, the fix is an actual correction of the defect at birth, with no synthetic material; this allows the heart to develop normally. Why am I saying all of this to you? Well, because I recently met a friend who is on a cycling team that rides for -- of all things -- children with congenital heart defects! So, the money and awareness she is raising goes to helping children with heart defects at birth so that they can live more healthy and normal lives. After hearing her story, I realized my motorcycle ride to the Arctic doesn't sound so crazy after all.

I guess my point is that all the runs, walks, and rides -- whether in your neighborhood or to the Arctic -- raise money and awareness, as well as provide hope and a positive outlook for those who need it, and it really does make a difference.

Details Details

Well, it's been very busy here at the 2011 Ride HQ, also known as - My House. I've been on the phone with GoPro, and they are very excited about this year's ride. We are going to try something new this year and attempt a very cool time-lapsed photo album with GoPro. Basically, the plan is to set up a GoPro HD HERO to take a still shot every sixty seconds for the entire trip and then chop it up and make a really great photo album. The staff at GoPro are full of ideas and are very willing to help out.

We anticipate the arrival of the raffle GoPro very soon and will announce the next event once the camera is here. We hope to see a lot of motorbikers there! We are thinking about a weekend event, during the day. How does that sound for everyone?

Tomorrow night is the ADVrider bike night at Zuffy's Place. Curt and I will be there, and we hope that it is still going even though the attendance has been low. We know it's been a cold winter, but now is the time to dust off the bikes and get ready for the season.

As usual, the Donate Page is up and running. It is set up as a Komen Team Page this year. We have been working on recruiting more riders for all (or part) of the trip to help raise awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. So far the new approach is working. Once we confirm with the riders and answer all their questions, we will post up and have them tell us what inspired them to ride for a cure. It's been a slow start and the ride has become logistically demanding with new riders and a new agenda, but stay tuned as we will be getting more and more in the swing for this year's ride.
Also, check out the route page. The 2011 Route is up!

Thank you everyone, Daniel Palazzolo