HPD Riding to Tacoma, Washington

It was a great thrill for our LLS staff to be at Discovery Green this morning as officers from the Houston Police Department left on bicycles heading to Tacoma, Washington. For 33 years, this amazing police department has raised funds to cure blood cancer by riding for several days across the country each year.

Since they began, they have raised more than five million dollars for LLS. This year, they will spend eight days riding from Houston to Tacoma. As they ride, they pray for cancer patients for whom they ride. And as the days get long and difficult and they struggle physically to endure, they think about what blood cancer patients must endure and they push themselves even harder to complete their journey.

This year the officers are wearing bow ties in memory of Dr. Charles Koller who was a participant on the team for many years. Dr. Koller was a leukemia doctor at MD Anderson Cancer Center who, when not in bike shorts, wore bow ties. He treated some of the police officers who had been diagnosed with leukemia. He was a kind and gracious physician and friend to many. Dr. Koller lost his own life to cancer last year, but as the officers mentioned this morning, his spirit will be with them as they ride.


Lets keep the HPD Bicycle team in our thoughts as they ride this week. Thank you to them all for supporting our mission!

Bike jerseys were designed by an adorable little patient.
She even got a jersey of her own.

 

Ready to start the long journey.