BFF Part 1- Leaving Tonight

Everyone keeps asking when I’m coming back to Israel. This is the longest I’ve been away since I moved there two years ago. I followed my heart to Israel. However for this summer, I followed it back to America. First I came to visit my family and friends who I missed so much. But the main reason I’m here is for Bike For The Fight. Tom Peled started Bike For The Fight (BFF) a year and a half ago, after losing his father to a long battle with cancer. Bike For The Fight is something I truly believe in. All of the proceeds are donated to the Israel Cancer Research Fund that sponsors cancer researchers in Israel.

Last summer, Tom and three of his friends, Eran, Luca, and Roey, rode bikes from Los Angeles to New York, 2400 miles. They rode for 3 months and raised over $100,000 dollars. I was amazed at how big of an impact 4 young Israelis could make. Taking what they believed in and doing something about it- you see how people can really make a difference.

The first BFF event – a ride in Israel with my college IDC Herzliya, on June 1, 2012. I joined this ride and knew I wanted to be a part of BFF.

This year I am honored to join the team along with Tom Peled, Eran Rozen, Eldar Noyman, Ron Ben Ishay, and Inbal Brakha. Inbal lost her father to cancer two years ago. I think she and Tom are very brave to take this horrible, monumental experience in their lives and move forward from it with the inspiration to make a difference in the lives of others. While Eran’s father was helping Tom start Bike For The Fight, he died in a plane crash. Eran honored his father by establishing BFF with Tom and biking both last and this year. Tom, Inbal, and Eran, are three such special people, working endlessly for a cause that means so much to them, everyone is beyond proud and I believe their fathers would be too.

October 2012, the first time I saw Tom after their bike trip last summer. He told me all about what BFF had achieved and I remember being so proud of Bike For The Fight!!!

So, tonight I am leaving. Flying to New York, driving to Toronto, and beginning our bike ride. We will bike from Toronto to Boston, to New York, to Philadelphia, to Baltimore, to Washington D.C. – ending in D.C. in late September, and who knows where we might end up from there, before we head back to Israel. We are on a journey of the heart, taking our love, and will-to-do-good and trying to connect it with people around the world.

February 2013, when Tom and I first seriously discussed me joining the Bike For The Fight team. I was so excited!

When I first spoke to Tom about BFF, I was really inspired. He made such intriguing points about why he started Bike For The Fight and it caused me think a lot about the project. So many of us have extra time that we spend on TV or the internet, just looking for ways to fill up the empty moments we have. But if people took that time and contributed even one hour a week to a cause they believe in, together that accumulated time could make such a difference for any given cause.

Some of the amazing people on the Bike For The Fight team in Israel!

Raising money for BFF at the Fashion For A Cause charity fundraiser in Tel Aviv.

Steve Jobs was known for giving a lot of valuable advice in his time. He once talked about the world that we live in- how most of us look around and see the world, taking everything the way it is. But we need to remember that everything in our life and our world was invented by people no smarter than us. We can do so much more, realizing that we can change the reality to one that works better.

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports Bike For The Fight.

Tom Peled took the passing of his father and decided he didn’t want anyone else to suffer the pain of prematurely losing a parent to this horrific disease. In today’s world with so many advancements in technology and resources, there has to be an answer. Determined to make a change, he started Bike For The Fight to contribute everything he could to help with finding a cure for cancer. Everyone knows someone who has been effected by cancer but Tom Peled wants to change that reality. I respect that greatly and will do whatever I can to help.

Looking towards a better tomorrow. Representing Bike For The FIght at the Tomorrow 2013 conference in Jerusalem.

The 2nd Bike For The Fight ride in Israel, with IDC Herzliya.

Cancer effects everyone- regardless of what you believe in or what country you come from.  And only together can we win such a fight. As I go with 5 Israelis and travel across North America, I hope people are able to set aside politics, and realize we are all people, who want good health for ourselves and our loved ones. Finding a cure for cancer anywhere will help all of us. Let us win this fight!

Stay tuned for updates from our journey on the Bike For The Fight Facebook page. Donate to the cause.