Oakton Wine Shop, Remission Riders Raise Funds for Lymphoma Research

The Remission Riders held a fundraiser for the 7th annual Lymphoma Research Foundation Bike Ride at Oakton Wine Shop on March 9.

Local resident and Remission Riders team member Valerie Kappler, 50, who has four children was diagnosed with lymphoma in November 2008. She is in full remission due to being able to participate in a clinical research trial.

Suzanne Zolldan’s husband, John, was diagnosed 22 years ago and continues to be in remission, and other members of the team have had family and friends with lymphoma.

However, lymphoma has a high rate of recurrence, and the Lymphoma Research Foundation is looking for a cure. Lymphoma used to typically strike men in their 60s, but in recent years it has nearly doubled, striking much younger people.

Oakton Wine Shop owner Bryan Gauthier said the event was an amazing one for the shop, and one of the largest crowds they’ve ever seen. The shop held its second annual Spring Fling Wine Festival, showcasing wine from four different countries, in conjunction with the Lymphoma Research Bike Ride fundraiser.

"I am very humbled by the support the community showed today,” Gauthier said in a press release. “I am also pleased with all of the selections people were making as the wines were all truly some of our favorite selections and the community agreed.  I cannot wait for our next event."

“Our team does not have any corporate sponsors,” said Valerie Kappler. “We raise every penny ourselves either through events or personal donations.”

The Oakton Wine Shop donated a portion of the Spring Fling sales to the Remission Riders, and more than 200 people came to the Spring Fling event.

“The support is overwhelming,” said Mary Heppner, a team member who co-led the Wine Tasting for a Cure event, “It’s amazing how many people are associated with someone who is touched by this disease and want so much to help find a cure.”

The Lymphoma Research Foundation Bike Ride will be held Sept. 22, 2013 in Barnesville, MD. Last year’s ride raised more than $500,000 for research, and more than 300 people took part in the non-competitive event.

The ride was founded five years ago by Dr. Bruce Cheson, the deputy chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology and the Head of Hematology at Georgetown University Hospital. He was also chair of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation Bike Ride has raised almost $3 million total for lymphoma research.

“The Lymphoma Research Ride is such a wonderful experience – the celebration, the spirit, the support; it is so important to these riders to show the world that when they put their bottom on a bike seat, and ride many miles uphill, this is no more steeper a climb than the one they have undertaken in their fight against a potentially fatal disease,” Cheson said.

“The funds raised from the Lymphoma Research Ride have had and continue to have a meaningful impact on cancer research; this is a very exciting time because of what we are learning about the science of lymphoma that is being applied to the clinic,” Cheson said.

Donations to the Remission Riders are being accepted until November. Visit the Remission Riders online to make a donation or learn more.