Biking to benefit her brother and others

Cruising down the same driveway in Glen Ellyn, Ill., where she first learned to ride a bike, Michelle Thompson began a 2,400-mile bicycle journey to Costa Mesa for one simple reason: Her brother, John Thompson, has oral cancer, and she hopes to raise awareness and money to help him fight it.

"He is in the battle of his life, and I want to get in this battle with him," she said. "I wanted to help other families so they wouldn't have to go through what my brother is going through."

Inspired by her brother's daily walks, the initial idea for a community walk-a-thon quickly transformed itself into a solo bike-a-thon, a fitting tribute for the brother who purchased and taught Michelle how to ride her first bike.

Following a surgery over the summer in which doctors removed portions of John's tongue and jaw bone, leaving him temporarily unable to speak, his 35-year-old sister knew she had to do something truly substantial.

Leaving her job as a quality consultant for the duration of the trip, Michelle set out on a grass-roots campaign to raise awareness of oral cancer, which claims more than 8,000 lives per year nationwide, according to The Oral Cancer Foundation. She also hopes to offset her brother's mounting medical bills with the goal of raising $50,000 — a figure show knows to be "extremely ambitious."

Before setting off, the inexperienced cyclist spent a week surveying the inventory of bike shops throughout Chicago. Though the bike her brother taught her to ride on remains in her parents' basement, Michelle opted for an adult-sized touring bike, fully equipped with a trailer and head-to-toe cycling gear.

Michelle left Illinois on Oct. 21 hoping to make it to her brother's home in Costa Mesa in time for Christmas. Saturday marked her ninth week on the road, though she didn't ride for at least seven days due to extreme weather, including a blizzard in New Mexico, various wind storms and downpours of freezing rain.

No matter the challenges she faced along the way — whether it be lugging a trailer full of camping gear and other essentials, biting winds or numerous flat tires — Michelle's resolve never waned.

"In light of what my brother's going through, it's hard for me to complain about anything," she said. "I just think of what he's going through, and the rest seems insignificant."