This year during Pelotonia’s Ride, Sarah Wall will be riding a tricycle for 25 miles, while she is 32 weeks pregnant. We know… we know. Read this sweet story, to find out why.

(And, don’t worry, she has received the all-clear from her Doctor.)

Sarah is excited to participate in Pelotonia for the first time as a new rider and Peloton Captain, and as a new faculty member in the Division of Hematology, on Team cCAP (Comprehensive Cancer and Aging Program) where she focuses on clinical research, evaluation, and treatment of older adults with blood cancers.

Participating in Pelotonia may be a first, but she’s not the first in her family to have a tie to the James. Her late grandfather, Robert Wall, was a member of the faculty at the James and her grandmother, Julia Wall, was treated there.  “Cancer research and being a part of the James is in my blood.”

“My Grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 90 years old. That same year I had just started my fellowship at The James. She was extremely overwhelmed with the diagnosis and all of the details, so I wanted to be there to help support her along the journey.

During her Grandmother’s first appointment, Sarah, her father, and her aunt all attended the meeting, to ensure they were learning the information and could ask questions that her grandmother might not ask or know to ask.  “We were thoroughly impressed.  A lot of people don’t realize how many individuals there are contributing to your care throughout a cancer diagnosis.  There are Doctors, physical therapists, social workers, nutritionists, pharmacists, nurses, the list goes on and on, but The James made us all feel at ease and we left feeling extremely educated about her course of treatment.”

Determining her Grandmother’s treatment was no easy task due to her age.  Ultimately, they decided against chemotherapy, because it could potentially do more harm than good. Instead, they did radiation therapy at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center. The result?  A huge success!  “Grandma is now 94, doing well..  She credits the James and the incredible staff for such a great outcome.”

So what does this have to do with the fact that Sarah is riding a tricycle while pregnant in Pelotonia?

“My grandmother rode a tricycle to keep healthy while going through treatments. Her Doctors and physical therapists wanted her to be active and motivated, especially since at one point they wanted her to have a knee replacement. She didn’t want to have the knee replacement, so to keep her joints moving, and staying healthy, she started riding her tricycle around her cul-de-sac in Dublin, Ohio.”

“My grandmother loves this bike so much that during my engagement photo shoot, she brought her bike.  She even requested a photograph from our photographer of her and the bike,” she said with a laugh.

Doctor’s typically don’t recommend doing anything where you can fall or lose your balance while pregnant, so riding a regular bike for Sarah is out of the question.  So, her grandmother’s tricycle is the perfect solution. Her Grandmother is on board with this and has loaned her tricycle to Sarah for training rides and the big weekend.  “I’ll be riding the bike that kept my Grandmother healthy throughout her treatments, and still is, to this day.” This isn’t the first time Sarah has participated in an athletic event while pregnant.  When she was pregnant with her son she completed a marathon!

The only thing she’s nervous about? “I’ll be honest, I’m a bit concerned about how much space my belly will take up and I won’t be able to reach the handlebars.”

Sarah is expecting a little girl and will be naming her Allison, in honor of her Grandmother’s maiden name, her father’s middle name, and her middle name.

Sarah is confident she can do it but said “worst case, I’ll push my bike to the finish line!”

We wish Sarah (and Allison) the best of luck as they ride 25-miles to help end cancer. Make sure you look for them on the course – she shouldn’t be hard to miss.