“He would eat it every meal of the day if he could.”
Lobsters were the favorite food of Katharine Mix’s big cousin Andy. The two were only children who grew up like brother and sister.
“I spent my whole life trying to keep up with him, be it skiing, running around. He was just a larger-than-life person and personality,” Mix said.
He was a childhood cancer survivor and passed away from colon cancer in March at 43 years old. So, this year, Mix’s 10th Closer to Free on September 7 will likely have a bit more emotion along for the ride.
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“Not in a bad way, in a cathartic way,” Mix explained. “It will be a good release around people who’ve been through similar things.”
And she says that’s part of what makes the Closer to Free Ride so special.
“Everybody’s got a similar story. There isn’t anyone out there that hasn’t had a close friend or family member go through cancer or lost someone to cancer.”
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She’s raised $5,700 so far and has already passed her fundraising goal. All of the money will go back to Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center for research, support programs and to help staff care for people in the fight against cancer.
“The day he was sent to hospice care the Smilow nurses got him a lobster lunch and it made the worst day of his life a little bit better,” Mix said.
That personal touch is what she also saw with her best friend Erin Parejko who had breast cancer, and her stepdad Bill Van Wilgen who also had breast cancer and prostate cancer.
“He’s been in the Smilow world forever now and they’ve taken excellent care of him.”
Mix is on Team “Wishes do Come True” with Parejko. The two, along with four members from the team, are the core group that’s been together for 10 years. They started after Erin’s diagnosis.
“It kind of feels like you’re doing your part to help in some small way. Obviously, I’m not a cancer researcher, but it feels like I’m helping out,” Mix said.
They usually go 25 miles, but they may take it up a gear to 40 miles. That’s more miles to hear and see the best groups of supporters along the way, especially when it gets tough.
“She had a speaker playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and there was nobody else around, and I thought ‘thank you!’”
She says that kind of encouragement is there from the opening ceremony at the Yale Bowl, during the emotional moments at the Smilow Salute and across the finish line.
All to help everyone get closer to free.
“I basically think this is easier than chemo, or going through cancer and what people go through every day,” Mix says. “You know, I’m just riding a bike. I’ll be done in a little while. I can have my Gatorade and have a good time and I’ll be done. And they’re fighting so much harder.”
