Jose Medina, a retired Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant who served as a sergeant with the Jacksonville Beach Police Department until 2011, is bicycling across the country to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer.
He is riding 4,000 miles from the West Coast to his home on the First Coast to benefit 3-year-old Rupi Danlag of Crestview, Florida.
Medina is documenting his journey on social media, posting photos and updates along the way. His goal is to raise $1 for Rupi for every mile he rides. He averages about 65 miles a day.
To date, Medina has covered 3,190 miles and raised $2,885.
This is not Medina’s first cross-country ride for pediatric cancer. He previously completed a 5,000-mile bicycle ride to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research through Great Cycle Challenge USA.
“I used to ride quite a bit for other charities like the American Diabetes Association and Multiple Sclerosis but I can’t do them all. I wanted to find one that was near and dear to my heart. That’s when I came across the Great Cycle Challenge,” Medina said by phone from a hotel room in Ohio. He planned to camp Monday night, but rain often determines the plans.
Medina began the 5,000-mile ride in Vancouver, Canada, rode south through California, then traveled east across the United States before finishing in Jacksonville Beach. Traveling through Washington and Montana was challenging in the mountainous terrain.
“It took me six hours to go 10 miles,” he said. “Head winds can really mess you up, too. You’re riding but you don’t feel like you are getting anywhere.”
He rode with Team Joe Strong, a Jacksonville-based fundraising team created in honor of Joe DeWaele, who died at age 9 after battling leukemia. For the final 23 miles, Medina was accompanied by a Florida Highway Patrol escort from the FHP building to the Jacksonville Beach lifeguard station.
“The best thing is all the people I meet on the road. People are curious when they see the bike all loaded down,” Medina said. He has a QR code on his bike that people can scan for information about his journey and donate to the cause.
“They share their stories with me about their experience with cancer or someone in their family. I’ve never had any bad experiences. We have a beautiful country and I see things that people won’t see from a car.”
This year, Medina is spending the summer cycling across the country using the hashtag #RupiStrong to benefit Rupi, who is undergoing treatment for a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer.
He came across her story online and reached out to ask the family for permission to ride for the little girl and share her story. Medina is also cycling to honor his father, brother, sister and nephew, all of whom have had cancer.
On July 16, Rupi’s mother, Lita Danlag, took her daughter to the pediatrician for a lingering cold. A chest X-ray revealed more than 20 nodules in Rupi’s lungs and a tumor in her right kidney.
The family was immediately sent to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola for further evaluation. At age 2, Rupi was diagnosed with Stage 4 diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor.
Just days after her diagnosis, Rupi underwent a total right nephrectomy to remove the tumor and affected lymph nodes. She began chemotherapy in Pensacola and underwent radiation treatments in Jacksonville.
Her aggressive treatment plan includes six rotating chemotherapy agents over 10 months to target the cancer and fight its rapidly growing cells. Rupi’s mother, Lita, is a critical care nurse who worked at hospitals in New York and Miami during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her family, including her father, Partap, and her brother, Ramiah, remained by her side throughout her treatment.
Medina is among thousands of cyclists nationwide using their rides to raise money through Great Cycle Challenge USA, which has raised more than $80 million and logged nearly 37 million miles nationwide since its 2015 launch.
Riders set their own mileage goals and can participate from anywhere in the country. There is no minimum mileage requirement.
The organization benefits Children’s Cancer Research Fund, a national nonprofit focused on funding research into childhood cancer, including hard-to-treat cancers, survivorship and health disparities.
According to Children’s Cancer Research Fund, more than 15,000 American children are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 38 children die from the disease every week.
More than 95% of childhood cancer survivors will experience a significant health issue related to their cancer or treatment by age 45. That is one reason the organization’s research extends beyond finding cures to improving long-term outcomes.
Donors can support Medina’s ride and pediatric cancer research through his Great Cycle Challenge fundraising page. Follow his journey on Facebook.
