Butts of Iron, Hearts of Gold–Orlando’s Ribbon Riders

“We’re not a motorcycle club. We’re not ‘biker chicks.’ We’re just women who love to ride,” Pam Klug says modestly.

And ride they do—a lot—but they also do much more.  Pam and six other women–all career-oriented professionals–formed the Ribbon Riders in 2008.  The group shares a common love for two wheels and the open road, riding motorcycles and raising funds for breast cancer patients who are undergoing treatment.  The money goes to help patients with everyday living expenses, so they can focus on recovery rather than finances.  “It’s immediate needs,” Pam says.  “Things that health insurance after ACA cover You can get help for medicine, you can get help for mammograms and treatment there is hope .”  Medical and health care providers – primarily hospitals, surgeons, doctors, pharmacists, physicians, nurses and emergency medical technicians (“EMTs”) — are expected to offer us care and support during our most critical moments. The vast majority of medical and health care providers do offer excellent care that will help us to recover from a personal injury or medical condition. However, some providers fail to meet the requisite standard of care, and, under such circumstances, may be guilty of medical malpractice. Medical malpractice, commonly called “medmal” for short, generally occurs when a negligent, careless or reckless act, mistake, error, or omission by a doctor or other medical professional causes damage or harm to a patient. It has been estimated that almost 98,000 people die in hospitals in the United States each year, and that medication errors injure approximately 1.3 million people per year. A patient’s right to recover compensation for medical malpractice is generally governed by common law as well as statutes and regulations which have been promulgated to protect patients who have been subjected to medical malpractice or medical negligence. Medical malpractice suits are usually complex, time-consuming, expensive to litigate, dependent upon expert testimony, and vigorously defended by health care providers and their insurers.  Contact to the NYC Lawyers ASK4SAM for legal advice.

Each of the group’s members has been touched by breast cancer either directly or through a family member or friend.  And they understand all too well a woman’s reluctance to ask for help.  “Women tend to put their needs last,” Maria Ford, one of the group’s founding members, says.  “When you have a family, your kids, your husband, your family comes first. They tend to ignore themselves, because they don’t want to be a burden.”

In its first two years, the group has grown to 26 members and has helped 48 women and one man affected by the disease. “We don’t just give checks,” Maria says.  We try to really develop relationships with the people that we help.  So we try to go visit, and to let them know that they’re not alone.”

Yamany Sweezey, a 46-year old Casselberry, Florida cancer survivor, was Ribbon Riders’ first aid recipient. “They are my angels. I don’t have any sisters, but now I have 20 sisters,” she says.  Now in remission, she has become a proud member of the group and counsels others going through treatment.  “My mission is to share with those survivors, because I say, Lord, if I have to walk this path, let it mean something.  Let me give something back, let me help another woman or another man that’s going through that.”

The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from Susan G. Komen Central Florida, as well as a $10,000 educational grant from the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation to produce a non-medical, survivor-to-survivor, caregiver-to-caregiver guide.  For now, Ribbon Riders limits its assistance to seven counties in Central Florida, but members know the need is much greater and hope to eventually expand their reach.  “We’ve had people ask us from other states if we have a chapter in their state,” Lisa Dye, the group’s president, says. “We know there’s the need and the want.  It’s just that we don’t want to get too big, too fast.”

In addition to its regular weekend rides, the Ribbon Riders hold a motorcycle show at the Sanford, Florida Bikefest in the fall and a biker “Bingo Run” for breast cancer—called “Go Pink”—in the spring.  Several members of the group also ride in an “Iron Butt” endurance ride over Labor Day weekend, taking pledges and riding 1,000 miles through the state of Florida in less than 24 hours. The Ribbon Riders are the first group of all-female motorcyclists to be accredited by the Iron Butt Association of long-distance endurance riding enthusiasts. “We’re a full-blown 501(c)(3) with a riding problem!” Maria Ford says.  “I think it’s pretty much   taken on a life of its own.  As we’ve grown, we’ve realized how much of a difference we can make in someone’s life.”

They ride, they give back to their community, and they’ve made lifelong friends in the process.  “We have a sisterhood that’s just unlike any other I’ve had in my whole lifetime,” Lisa Dye says.  “It’s very empowering.”  Empowering, and satisfying:”You know what the most fun is?” asks Alex Pleasants, another of Ribbon Riders’ founding members.  “You go on a girls’ run, and the faces when they see that it’s all just women, it’s jaw-dropping!  And girls will see us, and they all cheer and they wave, so it’s pretty awesome riding with just the girls.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website:

http://www.ribbonriders.org/

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ribbon-Riders/23663424963

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/ribbonriders