Langley Air Force Base, Va. –
Retired Master Sgt. Valerie Busdeker has limited free time. She's an executive assistance with the 497th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, a wife, mother of two and a full time student. But when her father-in-law, Sam Legg Jr., was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2008, she found herself devoting endless hours a week to his cause.
Despite a daily to-do list capable of scaring grown men, Busdeker found the time to train, and recently completed a 100-mile bike ride to support Legg and fellow cancer survivors. She never imagined she would train five to six days a week, enduring physical and emotional stress, to bike from Columbus to Gambier, Ohio, on Aug. 11, 2012, with her father-in-law.
"I did not think I'd be able to do it. I couldn't see myself biking 100 miles," Busdeker said. "But I did not want my father-in-law to do it alone. I realized later how much of a help it is to have someone ride side by side with you."
The ride may have been 100 miles, but the journey began after Legg's diagnosis.
"Our family was devastated [about the cancer]," said Busdeker. "It affected us all but we prayed and my father-in-law stayed strong."
After six months of chemotherapy, doctors saw little improvement, and by 2009 Legg was given roughly six months to live. Busdeker and husband, retired Master Sgt. Chadwick Busdeker, visited with Legg and other family members as much as possible, but serving on active duty made it extremely difficult to visit as often as they wanted to.
Legg continued to stay positive through the months that followed and in 2010, doctors discovered the chemotherapy worked and he was cancer free. Although relieved, things were still very difficult for him.
Legg spent 18 months with a feeding tube, and spent a lot of time with a swallowing and speech pathologist to improve damage caused by cancer and surgeries needed to save his life. A long 14 months after his surgery, Legg was able to swallow and his speech improved significantly. In August 2010, Legg's pathologists recruited him to train and bike for Pelotonia; a non-profit organization that donates 100 percent of its proceeds to cancer researc
"She recruited me for the team 'Head and Neck Peloton'," said Legg.
He enjoyed the event so much he decided to do it again this year. The only problem was that his pathologist was unable to participate this time. That is where Busdeker came in.
Her training began October 2011, and her workout consisted of biking 25 to 50 miles a week, taking spin classes three times a week, and attending pilates and yoga classes weekly.
"I was absolutely thrilled when I heard you were going to ride with me," Legg said to Busdeker through e-mail. "I knew if you only saw the opening ceremony, you would be hooked on the event."
The day of the ride, supporters gathered throughout the 100 miles to cheer on more than 6,000 riders; ranging from survivors, family and friends to specialists in the medical field.
"I was anxious and nervous the day before. I barely slept," said Busdeker. "My father-in-law told me 'we started together and now we are going to finish together'." Busdeker continued to say that Pelotonia is not treated as a race, it is simply a bike ride, filled with compassionate and understanding individuals. "I can't even imagine myself not participating in Pelontonia," said Legg.
With Busdeker's right hand painted, supporters and riders would know she was with a survivor, while Legg had both hands painted and the word "survivor" across the back of his shirt.
"As riders came up alongside of us, they would say things like 'Hello fellow survivor' to my father-in-law," said Busdeker. "From mile one to mile 100, there were supporters screaming and cheering us on. We could hear them saying things like 'thank you riders'."
One hundred miles later, smiling and holding hands, Busdeker and Legg crossed the finish line.
"When I started I was so scared, but after I finished I couldn't stop smiling and crying. I felt like I won a gold medal," Busdeker said with a large grin. "It was the best event I've ever done in my life. I'd recommend to anyone that has a cause near and dear to them to do the research and see how they can help."
Busdeker, along with 24 other teammates raised more than $52,000 dollars toward cancer research.
With a new-found hobby, Busdeker says she will continue to bike, and plans to participate with her father-in-law and husband in the next ride. Her youngest child has also shown interest in the event, and vows to bike it with them in 2013.
"The biggest thing I took away from the event was learning how grateful and generous people can be and how much we were appreciated," Busdeker said.