Cycling feature: Back from the brink

Steve Virgen

Ironic how something so deadly, so vicious, can turn out to be one

man’s treasure. This happened to Derek Ross. His bouts with leukemia have

actually brought him a meaningful and charismatic perspective on life.

Ross, a UC Irvine alumnus who was a UCI crew member for three years,

has chosen to make his near-death experience inspiration for those who

are in search for meaning, much like he was. He’s also raising money and

sharing his story so that people like him can overcome leukemia or

cancer.

Ross joined the Lance Armstrong Foundation and in April he will ride

with Armstrong and other cancer survivors in the annual Ride for the

Roses to raise money and visibility for the fight against cancer.

“It’s really done a number of wonderful things for me,” Ross said of

the leukemia he was diagnosed with April 19, 2000. “I really want to

share what I went through with other people. You don’t need this kind of

life threatening disease to make a change in your life. Hopefully people

can look at me and realize that they don’t want to go through that day

and instead change right now. That was my problem. I was never satisfied.

I was always moving. It’s a bad way to live. You have to enjoy the

moment.”

Ross, much like Armstrong’s story, thrived in the challenge of

overcoming the disease. Before news of the diagnosis, Ross was a fitness

junkie who ran in the Los Angeles Marathon and had been training for the

Wildflower, known as one of the toughest half ironman races in the world.

Ross’s desire to push his body to the limits came with the hopes of

discovering meaning for his life, perhaps to fill a hole. His mother,

Judy, died from cancer three months before his own diagnosis. In the

weeks and days leading to her death, Ross would search with more passion

to overcome depression and break out of his doldrums.

“Luckily I went through cancer before she died,” Ross said, displaying

his newfound ability to find the good in any bad. “I was able to cope

with her death. My mom died from cancer and that means I have to live. I

have to fight even harder and live for her. I made a promise on her

deathbed and said, ‘I’m going to beat it. Don’t worry.’ ”

So far, so good. After drastic pains from chemotherapy, doctors put

Ross’s leukemia in remission just before Judy died. But then the disease

struck back. He would have to break down and battle through chemotherapy

once again.

“I always need a challenge,” said Ross, who earned a bachelor of arts

degree in environmental analysis and design at UCI in 1997. “Maybe that’s

why I was searching for something and cancer was the answer. It was the

ultimate challenge. I was able to face it. So far it looks like I’m

overcoming it. Overcoming cancer doesn’t necessarily mean you have

survived it. It means you’re able to live with it. That’s the way you

beat cancer, in a way.”

Doctors gave Ross a new drug, Trisenox, which also helped in the

recovery process and allowed him to successfully endure a bone marrow

transplant.

“They take out my bone marrow, when it’s clean,” Ross said of the

operation. “They zap me with chemo and it’s about to kill me. It’s really

bad stuff. And then they build me back to health with stem cells that go

in my bone marrow. But that chemo just hit me hard.”

Now, Ross is back on what he calls, “the path of life.” And instead of

running, he’s walking. He said he’s enjoying each step and the scenery

along the way. A month ago, he proposed to his girlfriend, Tonja Becwar.

The two plan to wed in the near future.

Ross also became involved with skydiving.

“Nothing much scares me anymore,” he said. “(Skydiving) just shook me

up and that was it. You have a permanent smile the rest of the day.”

Ross’s experience also renewed his sense of humor. Throughout the

chemotherapy, Ross maintained an optimistic and comical outlook on life.

He jokingly called himself, “Chemo-sabi,” similar to the Lone Ranger’s

sidekick.

“I let everyone know that nothing can stop me,” Ross said. “Only what

you let stop you, can stop you. I have to take it one day at a time. I

don’t think I’ll be able to do the full ironman, but I want to do the

half ironman some day. I know I have to do it to prove it to myself. I

have already found everything I need.”

Ross is also cherishing the opportunity to meet Armstrong, who has

been the ultimate role model for Ross. Armstrong, a cancer survivor and a

three-time winner of the Tour De France, continues to inspire many while

raising money for his cause.

Ross has been training for the 40-mile bike ride and has been

practicing conversations he would have with Armstrong. Ross said he would

feel comfortable talking with Armstrong because they have both

experienced the same type of trials. They can identify with one another.

Ross faced death and has now moved on with vigor and zest for life.

“In life, a lot of times we are running away from death,” Ross said.

“It’s chasing you and you don’t want to look back. If you look back then

you might actually see death and it’s scary. And you don’t want to see

it. (The disease) forces you to stop and death catches up with you. You

look at death. It’s not scary anymore. In fact, it’s beautiful. It’s part

of life. It’s just one of those things that happen. It touches your life.

You start to look back on the path of life that you were running on, and

you start walking. You walk right next to death and you realize death has

always been there. It’s always been a part of the path.

Then you just walk and stop to look all the trees, smell the roses and

just stop running.”

For information on charitable donations, e-mail Derek Ross at

[email protected]

Or mail:

Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project

Box 161180

Austin, Texas 78716-1180