Rider Profile

One of the most meaningful parts of BellRinger has been choosing someone to ride for. In 2022, I rode in memory of Will Prince, the 12-year-old son of a dear friend who lost his battle with lymphoblastic lymphoma. In 2024, I rode in honor of my Georgetown University colleague, John Dolan, during his own cancer battle. This year, I'm honored to dedicate my ride to my neighbor, Lynn Van Gieson.

My family has lived near the Van Giesons since 2019. We're not the kind of neighbors who are in and out of each other's houses, but the Van Giesons are the kind of folks who hand-deliver Christmas cards – the small gestures that make a neighborhood feel like a community. Their twin daughters looked after our cats when we were away in Hong Kong.

A few months ago, at a dinner at another neighbor's house, I learned Lynn was fighting breast cancer. She mentioned she was on powerful medications and needed to exercise to manage the side effects, so I might be seeing her walking the neighborhood more. What struck me wasn't just the diagnosis, but Lynn’s good-natured optimism. She talked about her cancer the way she'd talk about anything else.

When I sat down with Lynn and her husband, Hal, to ask if I could ride in her honor, she agreed wholeheartedly. That conversation is when I learned more of the story. Lynn is currently tumor-free, and her doctor is using all the latest and best available tests to proactively avoid and manage the risk of metastasis. She is so grateful for the research that is leading to earlier cancer diagnosis, treatments, and therapeutics. Lynn knows this may be a fight she'll be living with for the long term. But as she told me, she doesn't have time to feel sorry for herself – she wants to keep moving forward.

Lynn goes to the gym and practices yoga multiple times each week. She continues to work full time and is active as the mom of four girls. This spring, she will complete a seven-month yoga teacher training program, followed by a specialty in oncology yoga. Her goal isn't just to move her own body through this, but to empower other cancer patients to use yoga as a tool to stay strong, calm, and focused through treatment side effects.

Hal is Lynn's rock, and he understands this fight in a way most spouses never will. His first wife was pregnant with their first child when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer and died far too young. Lynn told me that one of her doctors once seemed puzzled by how often she said "we" when describing her treatment. Her answer was simple: she and Hal are in this together.

This year, I'm again riding 100 miles and have committed to raising $1,500. Every dollar raised through BellRinger goes directly to life-saving cancer research at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. If Lynn's story inspires you as much as it has inspired me, I hope you'll consider making a donation. Thank you for helping bring us closer to better treatments – and, ultimately, cures.