It solely takes one assembly with Maria Coccia-Bourgeois earlier than she varieties some type of reference to you. She’ll seemingly know your title, greet you with a contagious smile, ask the way you’re doing and genuinely care to listen to your response. Maria’s present and love for individuals is simple. Her outlook on life, particularly as a most cancers survivor, is equally as admirable.
Maybe one of the best ways to explain Maria comes from a narrative she shared about her first Empire State Experience in 2017. On the third day of the seven-day journey, Maria discovered herself off observe.
“They wished to flag me in. And I’m like, ‘No, I actually don’t need to. I actually, actually, actually need to do that journey.’ I wished to pedal each mile that day, and I did,” mentioned Maria. “I used to be the final one in, and there was Terry [the founder of Empire State Ride] on the high of the hill. I got here in on my bike and Terry was standing there together with his palms in his pocket simply ready for me. Everyone was cheering. He gave me the largest bear hug, as a result of the final particular person made it dwelling.”
Maria may’ve been picked up that day; she may’ve determined to take the final miles of the day as a loss. However that’s not what she did.
“You don’t hand over. You don’t hand over,” she echoed. That reminiscence from the street additionally serves as a metaphor for the way in which Maria has approached every impediment in her life: the loss of life of each her dad and mom, a lifelong battle with dyslexia and her personal hard-fought battle with most cancers.
How Maria Realized about ESR
Bodily health has at all times been necessary to Maria. Indoor biking was the primary train she actually cherished earlier than discovering the world of out of doors biking.
“I used to spin six days every week on the gymnasium. Rise up, spin. I used to be blessed to have the time to do that. I actually imagine we’ve got one temple. We’ve received to maintain our temple: thoughts, physique and spirit.”
Then, someday a buddy requested Maria to hitch her on the 65-mile route at Experience for Roswell, one of many nation’s largest biking fundraising occasions primarily based in Buffalo, New York.
“I can nonetheless keep in mind again then. I did it with some buddies from the gymnasium, and I’d by no means cycled outdoors, by no means. I simply did it that yr. After I did that first 65, I used to be exhilarated. I may have saved going. I’m like, ‘I need to go extra. Let’s do that once more!’”
And he or she did. The subsequent yr, she signed up for the 100-mile route. When she later discovered about Empire State Experience from a buddy and met ESR founder Terry Bourgeois at a special 100-mile biking occasion, Maria sprang into motion.
“And I flipped my life in two weeks to do the Empire State Experience.”
So started a brand new chapter for Maria.
Turning into an Empire State Experience Street Warrior
The mission behind Empire State Experience is what had Maria hooked from the very starting. She misplaced each her dad and mom to most cancers.
“My dad and mom have been A & G, Angelo and Gloria. They have been a tremendous couple, wonderful dad and mom. The love that they’d … you possibly can’t measure it.”
She was additionally drawn to the concept of a group of riders that grow to be, in some methods, like household. And keep in mind Maria’s pure present with individuals? That completely shines by means of as a street warrior.
“I feel there’s a magnetic part of her persona; she has grow to be a part of what makes the Empire State Experience an awesome expertise,” mentioned Terry. “Along with her fundraising, she sends out actually 300+ private letters to 300 individuals. And each single donation she will get, she doesn’t ship a textual content, she doesn’t ship an electronic mail to thank them. She picks up the cellphone, and she or he calls them. She does that very same factor together with her fellow riders. She goes out of her technique to guarantee that individuals really feel welcomed and cherished.”
Maria has grow to be not solely a cheerleader for different riders, however some would even consider her as a mom determine on the street.
Maria’s Most cancers Prognosis
Maria prides herself on taking good care of her physique and being aware of any warning indicators that one thing might be off. In the course of the 2021 ESR, she seen she didn’t really feel fairly herself. Her stamina wasn’t what it was once, and she or he began having bother going to the lavatory.
She reached out to her physician immediately and sought to get to the foundation of the issue. After a sonogram and a CT scan, Maria obtained a cellphone name that nobody ever anticipates.
“I used to be on my bicycle spinning, using my bike like I at all times did. And I received a name and she or he [the doctor] simply mentioned, ‘There’s a fatty mass and we have to get you at Roswell Park immediately.’ I simply misplaced it. I known as Terry, and I instructed Terry what was happening. Growth, my life modified. I keep in mind strolling within the door at Roswell Park that Friday. I blessed myself and I mentioned, ‘Jesus, you will have the wheel.’ I threw my palms up and began my journey.”
A Most cancers Battle of Seven Mountains
Maria was identified with Leiomyosarcoma, a uncommon most cancers that growsin the graceful muscle tissues. The therapy plan in entrance of her was aggressive and unsure.
“I had 430 hours of chemo, a ten-hour surgical procedure. I had a cantaloupe-sizedtumor, my left kidney and a part of my massive gut eliminated.”
This was 2021, nonetheless within the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mariacould solely have two individuals by her facet all through the length of hertreatment.
By this time, Terry had grow to be an extremely shut buddy. Hewould be a type of two individuals. Her niece Rebecca stepped as much as be the second particular person as quickly as she heard the information.
“Aunt Maria has such an enormous household. And it’s not even simply the Coccia youngsters which are her household,” mentioned Rebecca. “It’s the Roswell household. It’sthe Empire State Experience household. It’s all of these individuals who have really impacted her … I do know for a proven fact that so many different individuals wished and wished to be there. It’s not blood that makes household. If anyone is a real testomony to that, it’s my Aunt Maria.”
Maria broke down her most cancers therapy into what she known as, “Seven Mountains.” Every mountain represented a special milestone in her journey: 5 rounds of preliminary chemo, a ten-hour surgical procedure and one final spherical of chemo.
“I rang the Victory Bell in Could and in June I used to be on my bicycle. I wished to be on the Empire State Experience. I achieved all these targets – and the Seven Mountains,” mentioned Maria. “We’re so blessed, and sure, it modified me. This entire journey modified me.”
The Urgency Behind Empire State Experience
As we speak, Maria believes she is fortunate to be alive. At the beginning, she thanks God, after which she thanks the medical crew at Roswell Park. Each 4 months she goes for physique scans and monitoring. The concern of her most cancers coming again at all times lingers.
“Truthfully, for every week earlier than the scan, I’m a scorching mess. Plenty of praying. The evening earlier than you break down since you don’t know what they’re going to say. After which when, reward God, they are saying that it’s clear, then I’m simply doing a contented dance.”
However, regardless of the wonderful progress made in recent times because of occasions like ESR, Maria’s therapy was not one of many new, breakthrough developments. As an alternative, it was extremely invasive and poisonous for Maria’s physique.
“It’s arduous to speak about actuality typically,” mentioned Terry. “However Maria’s actuality is that as a result of she had 430 hours of chemo, she’s reached her most allowable dosage of these medicine. If that most cancers comes again once more, what could be the subsequent step? As soon as once more, we don’t know for positive. However, if there’s a mild, it’s the sunshine of what’s presently being labored on at Roswell Park with mobile remedy. There are identified targets that the crew has recognized for sarcoma, and in my thoughts, that provides an enormous sense of urgency to what we’re doing.”
Along with her dad and mom nonetheless on the forefront of why she rides, understanding she’s pedaling for a breakthrough that might assist her if her most cancers have been to return, fuels a brand new motivation for Maria.
Terry added, “We’ve received work to do. And the attractive factor is, we’ve got a path to go down.”
Extra Life to Dwell After Most cancers
The top of Maria’s most cancers therapy marked the start of a brand new journey. Whereas most cancers has left her perpetually modified, her appreciation for all times has solely grown. Nonetheless, she’s made it again to ESR annually. Even when an harm prevented her from using her personal bike, she and Terry took on the statewide trek collectively on a tandem bike.
She’s additionally discovered love. Her friendship with Terry advanced into a beautiful relationship, and on the end line in Niagara Falls at ESR 2022, Terry requested Maria to marry him. Their story, which in some methods bloomed out of adversity, is a reminder that attending to the highest of the mountain is at all times one thing price combating for.
That’s true for Maria’s private battle with sarcoma, and it’s true for the higher trigger that brings us all collectively: ending most cancers.
Help Maria’s ESR fundraiser
10 years of affect
The put up Maria Coccia-Bourgeois’ seven mountains: from ESR to surviving most cancers appeared first on Empire State Experience.
