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Whatever It Takes: Stephen Gore Rides Again

By Cindy Beth Bittker

On September 11, 2001 while the World Trade Center towers were crashing down, Stephen Gore's only sibling, his sister, Pam, was receiving the news that she had breast cancer. Pam and Stephen had already lost both parents to cancer — their mother dying just shy of her 26th birthday of Leukemia when Stephen was only 7 years old. Their father died of liver cancer in 1994.

For many years, Pam and Stephen had seen the Pan-Mass Challenge riders pass in front of Pam's house in Plainville which is along the ride's route. (The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund with an annual bike-a-thon that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). Stephen was inspired to ride in the PMC after his sister, a cancer survivor, rode in the PMC three times.

After dropping a lot of weight, getting into shape and raising the money required to ride, in August of 2005, Stephen rode in his first Pan-Mass Challenge, riding 110 miles in one day. At about the 100 mile mark, he felt considerable pain in his left side, which he attributed to exertion. "It is extreme exertion. It is the hardest thing I've ever done," Stephen says.

The pain calmed down, but 2 months later returned, and after many tests and scans, in January of 2006, at the age of 50, Stephen and his wife, Robin Flint, were told that Stephen had Stage 3 Renal Cell Carcinoma - kidney cancer. "It was a grand slam for my family. All four of us had four different kinds of cancer."

"I always thought cancer would pass me over, that I was somehow immune to it. The feeling that accompanies a diagnosis is impossible to describe, so I won’t try. Suffice it to say it changes the course and focus of your life in the blink of an eye."

Within three weeks, surgeons removed his kidney. Stephen's first thought coming out of anesthesia was, "I can do this." And in his mind, Stephen counted out the months he still had to train for his second PMC, this time riding as a survivor or "Living Proof" as PMC survivor-riders are called.

Stephen completely recovered and has been cancer free for a year and a half, but lives with the anxiety and uncertainty of his "statistics" -- a 50/50 chance that the cancer will return within 5 years and a 1 in 3 chance of dying from the cancer.

"They are daunting statistics to live with, but you learn to take one step at a time. You definitely learn to pick your battles. And I'm less patient. I want things to happen now."

Not long after surgery Stephen got a tattoo on his forearm that reads, "Whatever it takes," "The tattoo is very meaningful to me at many levels. It is my tattoo, located on my left forearm where I can look at it any time I choose. Last year, when I was training for the Pan Mass Challenge, one of my mantras was the phrase "Whatever It Takes", meaning that I would do whatever it took to complete my training, and finish the 110 miles (in one day) under my own steam. With my riding partner, Bob Chipman, either in front of me or behind me, we shouted encouragement to each other all day. "Whatever it takes, buddy, whatever it takes." We called out the whole time, and crossed the finish line together after a very long day. When I was diagnosed, this phrase was one of the first things my wife and I said to each other. We would do whatever it took to get me well and healthy and back on my feet."

Stephen focused intensely on his training for the 2006 PMC — his "victory ride." Then in mid-June, just 6 weeks before the ride, Stephen fell off his bike and broke both elbows. "The foot grips were new to me and I just fell over while stopped and my feet were clamped in."

"On PMC morning I could barely grip the handlebars. However, I was not going to be deprived of my victory ride. I rode the first mile. I just had to. With 4,000 bikes leaving all at the same time, all the police, all the cheerleaders -- there was no way I was going to miss that."

"I wobbled one mile down the road. Everyone else left and my wife picked me up, threw the bike on the back of the car and we drove to one mile before the finish line and waited for my friend, Cate Gallivan who signed up to ride while I was in the hospital. We rode and crossed the finish line together. There wasn't a dry eye in the house."

As of this writing, Stephen is training for his 3rd PMC ride. He has worn 3 PMC shirts -- a rider shirt, a survivor shirt and a volunteer (photographer) shirt. He is still raising money for his ride and can be reached by email to stephen "@" nantaskart.com for those that would like to support his ride.

Stephen is originally from Cambridge (back when "Harvard Square was a neighborhood") and moved to Hull in the 6th grade. A graduate of Hull High School, Stephen and his wife, Robin Flint moved back to Hull in 1998. Stephen makes his living in computer support. His hobby is photography and you can see his work at www.nantaskart.com

Asked what his favorite spot is in Hull, Stephen answered, "our home." The Gore/Flint household includes Wolfgang Pup, Rosie, Gus, Lauretta, Sophie & Mike the Cat. We hope to write again about what's cooking in the Gore/Flint household!

 

 

 

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