To say that Dana Manciagli is a fighter is an understatement. She beat breast cancer in the early 2000s. She beat it again a few years later, and then had to endure the loss of her twin sister, Tracy, to the same disease.
When Dana’s doctors later found another lump, it was stage 4 metastatic disease — the most advanced type of breast cancer. She still receives treatment, but thanks to Virginia Mason, she’s currently living with “no evidence of disease” or “NED.”
That’s why Dana was all in when Virginia Mason’s team invited her to participate in the Tour de Pier — a heart-pumping stationary bike fundraiser coming to Seattle for the first time in September 2019.
“I try to do everything that's in my control to fight cancer,” Dana says. “I told them ‘we are going to crush the Tour de Pier’... People will come out and have the best time, all to support those with cancer.”
The Tour de Pier started in Manhattan Beach, California, in 2013. Stationary bikes are brought to a picturesque location and the community is invited to cycle to raise funds for cancer nonprofits. So far, the event has raised over $6.6 million, and its success in California inspired the organizers to bring Tour de Pier to a new city.
“Before we selected Seattle as our first expansion city, we knew we needed to find a local partner whose mission aligned with ours and whose team wanted to collaborate with us — we were thrilled to find that partner in Virginia Mason,” says Lisa Manheim, who co-founded the event.
Teams do the five-hour event as a relay and each team member rides for one hour. Different cycling instructors lead each hour and local sports celebrities attend the event too.
“The instructors put their heart and soul into this,” Lisa says. “They know that everybody riding has been touched by cancer, so they make every minute of each ride unique.”
The event’s proceeds will support research and care at Virginia Mason. Tour de Pier will also support the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Uncle Kory Foundation, which raises funds for brain cancer.
“We’re thrilled to bring this event to Seattle,” says Becky Pogany, associate director of the Virginia Mason Foundation’s annual fund. “It will help our team find better treatments and improve care for people like Dana.”
Are you or someone you know a bicycle rider or spin class participant? If so, be one of the first 150 riders to sign up to fight cancer for FREE!
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the inaugural Tour de Pier Seattle at Lake Union Park will bring together a community of those battling cancer, those who have lost a loved one and those dedicated to fighting this disease.
If you have questions, please contact the Virginia Mason Foundation.
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