Pedal to the Metal

The inspiring story and journey of Tom Peled

Mrs. Careys 4th period class poses with the Tom Peled (middle) and some of the members of the BFF team.

Joshua Lang

Mrs. Carey’s 4th period class poses with the Tom Peled (middle) and some of the members of the BFF team.

On Oct. 7, Tom Peled,  a 26-year-old  Israeli whose story and efforts have touched and inspired people all over the world, visited WJ and talked to Health teacher Kathleen Carey’s fourth period class.

Peled is on a mission to end cancer once and for all. In 2002, his father, Ramy, was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer in the stomach membrane. The typical life expectancy for someone with this disease was only a few months, but Ramy fought for nine  years until his body could not take anymore. The loss of his father was very hard for Peled.

“I was completely out of [myself],” said Peled. “I just wanted to run away.”

What Peled decided to do after his loss has impacted tons of people across the world. In order to get past his grief, he decided to channel  his sadness into something more positive. During the summer of 2011 he bought a plane ticket to Berlin, Germany and bought his trusty bike, which he had named “Amanda” after his first crush in elementary school. For the next three months, Peled biked alone across Europe, passing through six countries and traveling over 3000 miles, all the way to city of Fisterra, Spain which was commonly thought of as “The End of The World” before Columbus’ time.

One day, while visiting his father in the hospital in Israel, Peled found his father wide awake instead of being asleep like he usually was. His father said  he had a dream that his son was in Germany. Peled started his journey there to honor his father.

Throughout his trip through Europe, Peled had constant support from his family and friends as well as support from many of the locals he met along the way. They helped make sure Peled reached his goal to cross Europe. However, his journey did not stop in Spain.

When he returned to Israel, he wanted to do more and help others the way people had helped him overcome his loss. This led to the start of his organization Bike for the Fight (BFF).

BFF has been raising money to fund cancer research in Israel for almost two years. His tremendous bike trips did not stop there. Peled took his fuel and motivation, as well as BFF, with him to the U.S. On Aug. 1, Peled and four others set out from Los Angeles on a trip from coast to coast.

Along the way they encountered numerous challenges including 110 degree weather in Death Valley, Calif., the treacherous paths of the Rocky Mountains and buckets of rain. Despite the hardships they faced, the team persevered. Their trip continued for 3000 miles, all the way to the glistening lights of Times Square in New York City.

“By telling people my personal story,” said Peled. “I hope to encourage others to join my cause by donating money or joining a part of my trip across America.”

Along the way, Peled’s story touched many people’s lives, especially one man in Pennsylvania. Towards the end of their cross-country trip, the team stopped in Lancaster, PA, where they met a man named Allen Beam at a local restaurant. Beam was their waiter and said he had never even left his small little town. Peled told Beam his story, which Beam admired so much that he gave them a free meal. The following day Beam went over to Peled’s hotel before they left, and introduced Peled and his team to his father who also had cancer. Peled’s cause deeply inspired Beam because he was going through the same thing Peled had gone through. A few weeks later, Peled heard from Beam again. He told Peled how he ran a 5K race even though he wasn’t a runner.

“Allen told me that every time he thought about stopping or giving up,” said Peled. “He thought of how I biked 3000 miles and that if I could do it, then he could run five kilometers”

The summer of 2013 brought another challenge for Peled. This time around, Peled and his team started a bike trip in Toronto, Canada. They biked from Toronto to Boston, MA. From there, the team traveled to New York City and then Philadelphia. They biked through the nation’s capital and finally finished in Baltimore. The entire trip took two months. Over the two years the organization has been around, BFF has raised $185,000 for the Israel Cancer Research Fund, also known as ICRF for short. The money they have raised has come from numerous sponsors as well as people making donations along the way.

“I hope by the end of this journey that we will raise at least $200,000,” said Peled.

Raising money is not the sole purpose of BFF, it is inspiring people like Beam and teaching them that it is possible to overcome hardship and grief. During his trip through the U.S., Peled visited numerous Jewish communities, major sporting events, and summer camps.

After he  talked at WJ, Peled visited the University of Maryland. After he finished talking, three people who were all very emotional, came up to him. Peled’s story had deeply inspired and touched them.

“[Our organization] gives people hope to overcome things,” said Peled.

For more information, go to www.bikeforthefight.com.

Donations can be made on their site or by texting “BFF” to the number 80100 to automatically donate $10.

 

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