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Susan Ranck was recently diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumor, a cancer so rare, there is not yet a cure. Not too long ago, her cancer was a death sentence but today, Ranck has hope.

“I am beyond grateful that funding from research enabled scientists to discover a drug that renabled me to at least control my cancer and now there are options to offset this terrible disease. I am here today thanks to research and breakthrough discoveries,” Ranck says.

Susan was informed about the Ride to Conquer Cancer and as her way to give back to Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, and she immediately registered. Originally she was a bit worried by the fundraising goal, however Ranck is one of the top fundraisers, already raising over $5,000 and she does not plan to stop there.

“It’s amazing how easy the fundraising as been. I set a fundraising goal, which I thought might be a challenge but I will continue to raise that goal and fund-raise as many critical dollars as I can for this important cause,” says Ranck.

Susan Ranck, and her husband.

A Team Effort

“I sent an [outreach] email through the Ride to Conquer Cancer site, which was very easy to use. I used some of the verbiage from the suggested emails, but I think what hooked most people is using a personal reference: my story. Not everyone has a personal story to refer to but everyone knows someone who does, so I suggest people tap into that and make it personal. I sent an email to over 100 people, from my kids' teams, former co-workers, church friends, extended family, anyone I could think of!

Some people I expected to donate did but many more I didn't expect to reply literally came out of the woodwork with donations. It’s very inspiring to me! After the initial email, I followed up with people who might like to ride with me or at least take the “easier” route of donating and I posted the link on my Facebook page, giving updates every few days. I mention The Ride a lot in my daily conversations, which sparks people to ask for an email or offer them more information. It never hurts to ask!"

Making a Difference

This October, Ranck will cycle 150 miles and continues to recruit more people to join her. “I am excited to ride and it’s my hope that with more time and money, the researchers at the Abramson Cancer Centre will find a cure for my disease and all forms of cancer. I encourage everyone to join me as I know we can all cycle 150 miles and together we will conquer cancer!”