Healy, of Bellingham, Wash., and Madsen, of La Grande, know better than most people that tomorrow can’t be taken for granted. Both have cancer, and neither can say with any certainty how long they will survive.
But living in cancer’s shadow isn’t enough to make them park their Harleys.
For one thing, riding is therapy.
“I can’t afford a fighter plane and a magic carpet is a figment of the imagination, so the bike’s the next best thing,” said Madsen. “I just check out. It’s a wonderful time to do some thinking.
For another thing, kids — including those with cancer — look up to bikers. Healy, Madsen and a host of riders in a club called Bikers Fighting Cancer are doing all they can for youngsters who have received the dreaded diagnosis.
“Anything you can do to put a smile on a kid’s face is important. Take a kid for a ride on the bike, and for those few minutes they don’t have cancer. That’s what it’s all about,” said Healy.
In 2002, after developing a lump on his throat, Healy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The prognosis was not good, he said.
“Because of the type and stage of the cancer, they figured I had two years unless it was treated aggressively,” he said.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Healy met an 11-year-old boy named Ray, a victim of brain stem cancer. The two became friends; Ray nicknamed Healy “Chemo,” a handle Healy goes by today.
Ray loved motorcycles, and said he’d always wanted to belong to a club. Healy suggested the two form their own, and that’s how Bikers Fighting Cancer was born.
Ray gave the club its name and designed its distinctive patch, a Grim Reaper with the circle and slash to symbolize the banning of death. He also coined a slogan for the club: “Never Give Up.”
“Ray said we were banning the reaper,” Healy said.
Ray’s family was in need of money, and Healy found a way to help. He participated in a ride from Palm Springs, Calif., to the world-famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, raising money along the way through per-mile pledges.
“The ride raised $8,000 for Ray’s mom so she could stay home with him,” he said.
When Ray died at the age of 12, he was buried in a vest bearing the BFC patch. Healy pressed on, shaping the BFC into an organization that raises money for kids with cancer.
Today, BFC includes about 50 members in Oregon, Washington, Iowa and Illinois. A chapter is currently being organized in Tennessee.
Last year, Healy met 14-year-old Chelsey Ebert, who was stricken with cancer and undergoing treatment in Seattle. He made her the BFC’s next project. Money raised through the club helped make the last months of her life more comfortable.
“We gave her financial support just so she could do things like go to the store or take a trip,” Healy said. “We do this from the heart. A hundred percent of the money we raise goes back to the kids.”
Chelsey, like Ray, lost her battle with the disease, and like Ray, she said she wanted to be buried in her BFC vest. She also requested that BFC members escort her hearse.
Her funeral, in Ferndale, Wash., drew all-important media attention to the club.
“I can’t say we gave her as much as she gave us,” Healy said.
He had reached the rank of lieutenant and was working out of the Baker City station. He lived in La Grande with his wife, Linda, and twin children, Matt and Marti. The future seemed bright.
But in October of that year, life took a dramatic, most unwelcome, turn.
“I was going about my daily life,” he said. “One day I was out deer hunting and I suddenly felt weak. A few days later I found out I had multiple myeloma and there’s no cure.”
Like Healy, Madsen has undergone aggressive treatment. In addition to chemotherapy, he has had two stem cell transplants. The future remains uncertain, but for now he is maintaining an active lifestyle.
“I’ve done reasonably well and at this moment it’s as good as can be expected,” he said. “There have been advances, and I guess I’m one of them.”
During a visit to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Madsen happened to meet some Bikers Fighting Cancer members, including Chelsey Ebert.
Madsen owns a customized Harley and has lived the biker lifestyle since he was young. He said the BFC mission appealed to him.
“After a few hours speaking with Chelsey, the rest is history. I’m the Eastern Oregon representative,” he said.
Since then, Madsen and Healy have formed a strong alliance. One of their primary objectives is to make sure BFC has a highly visible presence in the Ninth Annual Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally, June 13-15 in Baker City.
They plan to have a BFC booth at the event, which annually draws thousands of bikers from throughout the nation.
From the booth, BFC members will sell merchandise including caps, vests, t-shirts, patches and pins, plus raffle tickets for two Ruger Vaquero .45-caliber pistols engraved by Union County gunsmith Jim Rector.
Rector donated the engraving. Mary Lee Horch, Miss Oregon USA, will be on hand to help with the raffle, Madsen said.
The club also will display its Memorial Wall, which is engraved with the names of people who lost the fight with cancer. For a $10 donation, rally-goers will be able to add the name of a friend or loved one.
“The names on the memorial show that these people are still in our hearts and not forgotten,” Healy said.
Though 2008 marks the first time BFC has participated in the Baker City event, it won’t be the last, according to Madsen.
“It’s my goal for us to become heavily entrenched in the rally every year,” he said.
He said he and Linda believe deeply in BFC’s cause and are happy to have the chance to help young cancer victims.
They also like the idea of helping to promote the motorcycle rally. They see it as a way to give back to a community that helped them when they were down.
“We grew up around here, and it’s fulfilling to help bring people to an event that gives the community a shot in the arm,” Madsen said.
