Madison Park cancer survivor, daughter do charity bike ride together
Madison Park resident Brad Perkins spent last Thanksgiving recovering from brain surgery. He didn't know until a week later that he was suffering from a very aggressive, dangerous form of brain cancer.
Clinically speaking, the doctors removed a glioblastoma multiforme Grade IV malignant tumor.
And yet, despite the fact that he is still receiving chemotherapy and sports a surgical scar across his scalp, Brad is ushering in the new holiday season with a long list of things to be thankful for.
Topping that list are his wife, Sara, and his daughter, Marit.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Brad's family is so much a part of his fight against cancer that Marit, 14, spent her last birthday weekend in Portland, Ore., with her father, taking part in the Portland Livestrong Ride. Father and daughter rode 10 miles through rain and cold to raise money for cancer research.
The pair raised more than $2,000 for the foundation, and the total amount raised during the ride by all participants was more than $3 million.
Both Brad and Marit are proud of their contribution to the foundation, but overshadowing the pride in the money they raised is how proud they are of each other.
Brad commended Marit's commitment to ride in the challenge. Not only was she spending her birthday weekend fund-raising instead of celebrating, but she didn't even let the "miserable weather" scare her away from riding. In fact, Marit said the ride was fun.
She and her father agreed that they would do another ride in a heartbeat. "If there was a ride today, we'd be in it," Brad said.
"Most eighth-graders would have rather stayed in bed," Brad said, speaking about the freezing rain and wind that the pair had to battle while they rode.
But Brad said that since his diagnosis, he has strived to serve as an example of overcoming obstacles. The message he wants to convey to his daughter is that "when adversity comes your way, you have to overcome it." Her commitment to the ride shows that Marit took that message to heart.
Marit said her father is a good role model. Despite his battle with cancer, he continues to stay very involved in her school and is even a coach for her soccer team, for which he serves as an inspiration not only to Marit but to her teammates, as well.
"I tell them, if a 52-year-old man with brain cancer can run wind sprints, then so can you," he joked.
LIVING WITHOUT THE 'CLUTTER'
And Brad does more than just run wind-sprints. Although he acknowledged that cancer can change a person's physical capabilities, he said that he still plays hockey once a week, still works out and, of course, still rides his bike.
"I try to make my life as normal as I can possibly make it," he said. He shuts the unnecessary out of his life and remains focused on what is most important to him: enjoying his time with Sara and Marit.
Brad said he's always been very tuned in to living a healthy, responsible life, and has never "loaded his life with clutter." He said that he's never had much interest in things like home entertainment systems or fancy cars. But when he was diagnosed with cancer, he became even more focused on the important things in life.
"People are always saying that life's too short [to focus on the little things], and in my case, it really might be," he said.
He added that in a way, "cancer's been very liberating." He confronted his mortality last year, he said, and has accepted that he could die.
"I'm not afraid to die," he said. Then he smiled and added, "But I'd rather not."
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