How do we overcome adversity? 

How do we provide a united front against threats to our hearts, health & souls?

What would we do without our friends & family?

The letter from our friend Karen (below) answers many of those questions in a pragmatic and action-oriented way. When we collaborate with those we love, our united effort becomes a formidable force.

Please join us in supporting Karen. If you live in Chicago, we encourage you to take the SoulCycle class on April 1st. If you don’t live in Chicago, please consider one of the other alternatives.

Here's the letter from Karen:

"Dear Friends,

For the past five years, April 1 at has been a bit of a stressful, anxious day for me. It marks the date that I was diagnosed with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

As I am still on watch and wait treatment, there is always a possibility that the cancer can return. As the years pass however, I am becoming more and more calm at the notion that it won't. However, I am also feeling stronger mentally in that I can deal with it if it does. 

In honor of my five year "cancer free anniversary" from lymphoma and in memory of my mother-in-law who passed away from leukemia 20 years ago, I want to celebrate with loved ones and friends instead of dreading this day. Soul Cycle has so generously donated a full class as a charity ride for this celebration. I really hope you can join me on April 1 at at 10:45 am to come ride on your own celebratory journey! It seems these days that almost everyone has been touched by cancer in one form or another and so I am hoping you will use this day and this ride to appreciate all you have in your life. Celebrating health, friendship, love and laughter!

All I ask in exchange for this ride is if you could do one (or all) of the following below…

1) Make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: (lls.org)

2) Be good to yourself:  take a walk, play a great April Fools Day joke on someone, buy yourself a Lema J cuff where they donate 100% of their profits to the Karma for Cara Foundation which tangibly helps leukemia patients, teaches our youth to give back to community and awards the unsung hero (http://lemajdesign.com  and http://karmaforcara.org), laugh out loud, play or talk to your kids!

3) Pay it forward: buy someone coffee, bring the secretary at your kids’ school a snack, let someone in ahead of you in line...

4) Take a moment to possibly sign up to be a bone marrow donor. 

While this ride is a celebration of moving on, I also want to recognize and help those still fighting, so we will also hold a drive to register people for the National Bone Marrow Registry.

Recently, my friend's nephew was diagnosed with leukemia. One of the treatment options for patients with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma is a bone marrow transplant. While 30% of patients can find a matching donor in their families, over 70% of the people who need bone marrow transplants have to look to the National Bone Marrow Registry. And still, 6 out of 10 patients are unable to find a compatible match which is why there is a tremendous need for people between the ages of 18-55, in general good health, to register as potential bone marrow donors so more of these patients can find a life-saving match.  

Registration only involves filling out a form and doing a cheek swab. 80% of the time, donating only involves a blood draw! We will have a desk set up in the Soul Cycle lobby if you would like to sign up. There are no guarantees that you will ever be a match- and there is no pressure for you to do this, but wouldn't it be great if you could literally save a life!?  For more information please visit http://www.deletebloodcancer.org/

Please follow the link below to sign up for the Soul Cycle ride! You may invite friends who you think may want to join the ride! Hope to see you there!! http://bit.ly/1UQs3yV 

Karen"