Virginia Fire Fighter to Bike Cross Country to Help Daughter

August 16, 2007 – Neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that typically affects children, is not a well-known disease, but that may be about to change. Five fathers – including Henrico County, VA Local 1568 fire fighter Alec Oughton – will be riding by bicycle from California to Washington, DC beginning September 10 to raise awareness about the cancer.

Their mission was dubbed the Loneliest Road Campaign because part of their ride is along Highway 50, nicknamed the “Loneliest Road.” In addition, the term reflects the daily challenges parents of Neoroblastoma patients face.

“The funding for cancer research in general is limited,” says Oughton. “For rare cancers like Neuroblastoma, there is even less money available. So, it is up to us to raise the money for research and experimental treatments.”

While he was seeking treatment for his own daughter, Oughton met other great parents. “That’s where the idea for the Loneliest Road Campaign was born,” he explains.

Oughton’s daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in January 2006 when she was a year-and-a-half old. Oughton found the best therapy available to his daughter in Boston, Massachusetts. While, the members of Massachusetts Port Authority Fire Fighters – the IAFF state affiliate representing fire fighters at Logan International Airport – provided housing and other assistance for the family.

Grace with mom, Crystal, and brother, Landon.

In Boston, Grace received chemotherapy, stem cell transplants and surgery. Once the therapy was complete, no evidence of cancer was found. But during a check-up in February 2007, doctors discovered another tumor.

“Having exhausted all of the capabilities the Boston facility had to offer, we found new hope at a cancer center in New York,” says Oughton. That’s where he found out about an experimental therapy called humanized monoclonal antibody therapy. But doctors said there was no money for the treatment.

“It was then that I teamed up with the other four fathers for the Loneliest Road Campaign,” he says. “The funny thing is that I had just started cycling earlier this year in preparation for a different cancer awareness event.”

The five fathers will begin September 10, 2007, in Sacramento, California, to ride relay-style 3,700 miles across the United States. Because not all of the participants will be riding at once, when riders are not on the road, they will travel in Oughton’s RV. Using the RV will allow the group to stay on the road 24 hours a day.

If enough money is raised during the campaign, Oughton’s doctors say that clinical trails using the monoclonal antibody therapy could begin by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation was established by two Henrico Local 1568 members – Brian Clifford and Bill Fulton.

“From the beginning, there were a lot of people who wanted to help, but we needed to get organized,” says Clifford, Foundation co-director. The foundation which has since blossomed into an official 501(c) 3 charity, helps other kids with cancer and their families.”

For more information, or to help Grace and other young cancer patients, visit the Loneliest Road Campaign and the SaveGrace web sites.