This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

I Ride in Memory of Steven

My deep connection with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and their annual motorcycle ride can be traced to my childhood.

In a small Catholic cemetery, not far from where I grew up in south suburbs, lies the grave of a boy named Steven who died in 1975, exactly one month before his 14th birthday.

Steven and I went through all eight years of grade school together. In the sixth grade, he stood up for me once – came from out of nowhere when somebody had thrown a punch at me for no apparent reason. I appreciated that and still remember his gesture of friendship to this day.

My classmate died from what we refer to today as a pediatric brain tumor. A brain tumor diagnosis in 1975 may as well have been a death sentence. I do not recall all of the details, but I know that Steven’s troubles seemed to have come from out of nowhere, very quickly. I know that surgery was performed and I know my classmate did not survive.

Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

His was the first wake I had ever attended, the first dead body I had ever seen in person. There he lay, a classmate the same age as me, whom I had known for about eight years and who by all rights should have still had an entire lifetime ahead of him.

In the 36 years that have passed since then, I have never forgotten that kid or his wake. During some of the lower points in my life, I have found myself wondering why Steven was taken from us at such a young age and why I was left to continue on.

Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some 27 years later in 2002, following a lifetime aspiration, I earned my motorcycle license classification. Less than a year after that, I had acquired my first motorcycle – a two-tone Honda Shadow A.C.E. – and began seeking out opportunities to ride with other people.

After doing a little research, I came across a local event called the Chicagoland Ride for Kids, a fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

The word “pediatric” hadn’t been used back in ’75, when a tearful teacher told her classroom full of stunned kids what had caused Steven’s death, so it might have taken a moment for me to understand what I had found – an organization formed to fight what had killed my classmate. And in that moment, a lasting connection was established between me and that group.

Despite having not one minute of group riding experience, I showed up at the Allstate Insurance corporate facility on July 14, 2003, for the ride. There we were, just me, my 11-year-old daughter and roughly 3,000 casual acquaintances.

Was I nervous? Heck no! I was scared. But we did it. And together with all the other motorcyclists, we raised $325,092 for pediatric brain tumor research that day.

My daughter and I have been raising money for pediatric brain tumor research by actively participating in the Ride for Kids every year since 2003.

But a funny thing happened in 2005, when my son, then age 12, began expressing an interest in our efforts. A motorcyclist companion of mine learned of this and offered to carry my son on his bike at the ’05 event. I graciously accepted and in so doing, incurred the ire of my daughter, who had come to think of the ride as “our event.” The shame of it all!

Thus began my standing tradition of participating in two Ride for Kids events per year. Each July, my daughter and I continue to ride in the Chicagoland event and in August, my son rides with me in the Wisconsin Ride for Kids.

Both of my kids are happy with the arrangement, an accomplishment in itself. All donations go to the same place – the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation – and a surprisingly high percentage of those dollars (83.5 percent in 2010) go directly toward its programs.

As I write this, the 2011 Wisconsin Ride for Kids is just a few days away. Together my son and I have raised about $225 in donations so far and we are very excited to be participating once again.

Me, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now you know why.

If you would like to support our efforts with a small donation, please visit our fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michael-daversa/2011wisconsinrideforkids before Aug. 7. We would be grateful.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?