I was able to attend both my 20th high school reunion and my 10th business school reunion in the past month.
Although I was still fairly fragile at my high school reunion, I was able to connect with so many old friends and family. I was amazed at how supportive all of my high school peers were about my recent surgery and the battle I have been fighting over the past 4.5 years.
One of my friends encouraged people in our class to donate small prizes that could be raffled off that night to benefit Cycle for Survival.
I was touched that about 20 of my classmates donated everything from a case of wine to a personal training session to a beach house at the New Jersey Shore. We raised almost $2000 for Cycle for Survival!It was so nice of my classmates to do this.
I also loved that I was able to reconnect with so many old friends and hear what is going on in their lives. I felt that with many of my peers, we were able to pick up right where we left off. I also found that there were some fun surprises in store.
Who knew that “that guy” would now be distributing porn? Who knew that the kid who failed phys ed would now be a personal trainer to the stars? Who knew that a friend who loved to write short stories is now a lead writer at the San Francisco Chronicle?
The only somewhat awkward moment was that my high school boyfriend didn’t recognize me at all and had to look at my name tag (we dated for over 2 years!). I guess not everyone can actually look YOUNGER AND BETTER at their 20th reunion!
On the heels of the 20th high school reunion, Dave and I headed to Boston for my 10th business school reunion. Whereas many people from high school fundamentally looked very different to me, it seemed like everyone that I graduated with from business school looked EXACTLY the same! In fact, some people even looked younger than theydid 10 years ago! It was an amazing weekend reminding me not only of how much I loved the learning aspect of business school but also how much I love and admire so many of my classmates.
The highlight of the weekend for me was, by far, the Cycle for Survival case (I have included it below so folks can read it if they are interested). It is a HUGE honor to have a case written about you in business school and the 10th reunion committee decided that they wanted to write a case about me and Dave and the development of our baby, Cycle for Survival.
There are so many business issues that need to be figured out as we expand and it was truly an honor and a privilege to have my brilliant classmates contribute their thinking to our cause. We had over 250 people attend the session andtheir insights were so helpful. We also were able to recruit a lot more advocates for the 2010 event! My favorite comment by far was my friend Paul who, when asked if he thought that my persona/story was “big” enough to go national, he answered “You are as scalable as Jesus!”
I have since received so many emails from classmates telling me that it was the “highlight” of their weekend. It was the highlight of mine too! Someone said to me “it was like It’s a Wonderful Life but you don’t need to die to see how many people love you!” I couldn’t agree more.
On the Sunday of the weekend, Dave and I were able to visit a few of his college fraternity brothers and their families.
These are tried and true friends who we have known for years. They have been so supportive of us through thick and thin. Although diapers and distances keep us from seeing each other as much as we would like, we picked up right where we left off and had a great time.
I am blessed to have so much love in my life.
Cycle for Survival: Keeping the Wheels Turning
Cancer has not forced me to change my life. The irony is that cancer has been one of the best things that ever happened to me.
- Jennifer Goodman Linn
January 25, 2009 represented a landmark day in the fight against cancer. The third annual indoor spinning event, Cycle for Survival, featured 1,500 participants, collected donations from over 10,000 individuals, and generated over $1,200,000 amidst the most challenging economic climate in decades.
Founded in 2007 by Jen Goodman Linn (HBS ‘99 G) and her husband, Dave Linn (HBS ’00 E), Cycle for Survival had staged three, single-day events that generated a total of $2 million for rare cancer research. These funds directly improved patient treatment and enhanced patient care. Jen was diagnosed with sarcoma in 2004, which began a continuing fight against the disease. Her commitment to herself and other patients in her predicament provided the motivation to create and produce these events.
Just days after that magical Sunday in New York City, however, Jen and Dave knew the stakes were still high. Jen’s cancer recently had returned for the fourth time, and she would once again visit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for treatment.
The charity events had gained valuable momentum and reached a key inflection point. Jen and Dave had an opportunity to foster meaningful growth, which would translate directly into more money for rare cancer research. But they wrestled with identifying the best way to expand Cycle for Survival. As they combed through press clippings, event photos, inspirational emails, and congratulatory letters, Jen and Dave turned their attention towards the future – of the event and of their lives.
Jen’s Story
I may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me.
- Jennifer Goodman Linn
In November 2004 at age 33, and just a few months after attending her 5-year HBS reunion, Jen Goodman Linn started experiencing night sweats, stomach pain, and a persistent low-grade fever. Tests revealed MFH Sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer that affects a small percentage of all cancer patients. Jen’s treatment at MSKCC involved twenty-six months of chemotherapy treatments and four surgeries, the first of which removed a football-sized tumor from her abdomen. During her regular hospital visits, Jen developed strong bonds with her fellow patients and caregivers at MSKCC.
Jen often said that MSKCC treated her body, and the Equinox Fitness Center in Columbus Circle treated her soul. Finding special meaning in the gym’s tagline, It’s not Fitness, It’s Life, Jen found a community and support system at Equinox. While undergoing her first round of treatment, Jen derived true empowerment from her indoor cycling sessions. She regularly attended spinning classes, regardless of how she felt after chemotherapy treatments. Cycling was the one thing that made her feel in control, alive, and enabled her to keep fighting against the disease. She likened the hill segments of each spin session to a metaphor for her next battle. Jen recalled, “I found the cycling program and many of the instructors so inspiring. It may sound a bit extreme, but I believe that spinning saved my life.” She vowed to do something not only to express her gratitude to both MSKCC and Equinox, but also to raise awareness and much-needed funds for those battling rare forms of cancer.
A Worthy Cause
In 2006, after overcoming two relapses and once again entering a period of remission, Jen was determined to use her passion for spinning as a vehicle to raise money for sarcoma research. Sarcoma fell into the category of rare cancers, often referred to as Orphan Cancers, which were comprised of hundreds of different cancers that affected millions of people. These cancers were difficult to diagnose and deadly if treatment was delayed. Together, Orphan Cancers represented 35% of all cancer deaths annually. Due to their disperse nature, however, Orphan Cancers received less attention and funding than more common cancers. Without well-researched treatment protocol, few therapeutic options existed beyond trial and error.
Jen’s Cycle for Survival became the only national foundation or charity that directly benefitted rare forms of cancer. The proceeds from Jen’s efforts helped underwrite clinical trials to study new chemotherapy regimens that may be more effective at shrinking tumors in patients with some forms of rare cancer. One of her physicians at MSKCC, Dr. Robert Maki, a world-renowned expert in the field contended that “the standard drugs we have used for the first fifty years of the history of medical oncology are toxic and not always particularly effective. By gaining a better understanding of the basic biology of these types of cancers, we hope to develop more precise treatments that focus on specific targets in the cancer cell.”
Getting the Wheels Turning
Unimaginable inspiration paired with uncontrollable perspiration.
- Cycle for Survival participant
Alongside her husband Dave, Jen began planning Cycle for Survival. She convinced Equinox to host the event and reached out to friends and family to participate and support the cause. After receiving input from MSKCC on other patient led, grassroots fundraising events, Jen and Dave set an initial fundraising goal of $30,000. The division of labor was established from the beginning. Jen focused on marketing and the event experience, while Dave tackled fundraising. Their friends flew in from around the country to gather in New York on the cold morning of January 28, 2007. Through Jen and Dave’s direct efforts, donations from over 1,000 people totaled over $215,000, establishing Cycle for Survival as one of the most successful patient-organized fundraisers in MSKCC’s history.
Excited by the inaugural event’s success, but not content to stop there, they immediately set out to make the second year of Cycle for Survival bigger and more impactful for everybody involved. Calling upon a legion of volunteers from Equinox, MSKCC, and family and friends (including over a hundred of their HBS classmates), they ‘leveraged the buzz’ of Jen’s story, and called upon her magnetic personality along with her unyielding determination for the continued growth of Cycle for Survival.
As they reached out to friends farther afield, the event naturally expanded its reach. While many friends descended upon New York for the second event, a number of others couldn’t attend and asked if they could ride alongside Jen remotely. This led to a series of ‘satellite cities’ that participated in the second Cycle for Survival. The second event was another success, bringing in over $650,000 from over 4,200 people. While elated that they had significantly exceeded their goal of $500,000, Jen and Dave had been hit with another blow – just weeks before the kick-off of the January 2008 event, Jen’s sarcoma had returned for a third time.
Jen and Dave saw that they held something very precious in their hands. In a brief period of time, the money raised had made an immediate impact, already helping thousands of people across the country and changing the way research on Orphan Cancers was conducted – demonstrating the return on every dollar committed to Orphan Cancer research. This more effective treatment also offered hope and inspiration to thousands of people directly and indirectly impacted by cancer.
Doubling Down - A Passion Becomes a Business
Jen’s third round of treatments went as well as her doctors could have hoped, and she was again cancer free by mid-2008. Jen’s physical and mental constitution - aided by her fitness level, support from her family and friends, and her determination to overcome this obstacle, enabled her to withstand a grueling treatment regimen. As Jen and Dave looked towards the third year of the event, they realized that what began as a mission to find more effective treatments and give back to others in a similar predicament had evolved into an organization that required not only their time, but also called upon their business acumen.
They had created in just two years a “start-up” organization that featured important strategic strengths. The event required minimal cost, and had a high rate of recurring cyclist and donor participation. Jen and Dave’s viral marketing efforts attracted a series of doctor and patient “evangelists,” who also had inspired others to support them. When an evangelist served as the hub of a cycling team, the funds raised were significantly more than other teams. These attributes created substantial operating leverage, allowing nearly 100% of every dollar raised to go directly towards research and patient care.
Like an entrepreneur in a new venture, Jen had to decide whether the time had come to release some of the reins on what she started. For two years, Jen and Dave had planned, organized, and run every aspect of the event and everything leading up to it. But for two fully employed business professionals, maintaining Cycle for Survival’s growth trajectory would require even more effort.
Jen made two key decisions about the future of Cycle for Survival. First, rather than become the Executive Director of her own 501(c)(3), she turned over the effective ownership of Cycle for Survival to MSKCC, whose team would coordinate the event logistics. In addition, MSKCC would provide the necessary infrastructure to facilitate timely communication with thousands of riders, donors and volunteers – through website design, electronic sign up, automated email announcements and payment vehicles. Second, she broadened the beneficiaries of the event from a sole focus on sarcoma to all Orphan Cancers.
In the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression, Cycle for Survival managed to more than double its funds raised from 2008. More than 1,500 indoor cyclists and supporters joined together on January 25, 2009 to raise over $1.2 million. Jen and Dave had the privilege of presenting a super-sized check to MSKCC and introducing “Keep the Wheels Turning,” a song written and performed by recording artist Marlowe Stone as a tribute to the event and all of its participants.
In an unfortunate twist of fate, just weeks before the 2009 event, Jen’s sarcoma relapsed yet again. The charity event Jen and Dave put together ironically would benefit Jen in her continued battle with the disease.
The Future
Jen wondered about the future of Cycle for Survival. Jen recalls, “The fact that this event has directly benefited patients motivates me to keep going. We’ve gained momentum, and we’ve already changed the way we’re fighting this illness. I have great hope that this will ultimately lead to more treatment breakthroughs and higher survival rates for those with rare cancers, so that more of us will live to tell our unique tales.”
With the meeting at MSKCC just two weeks away, Jen began drafting a proposal to raise more funds for Orphan Cancers. Donning the consulting hat she had worn in a previous job and incorporating what she learned at HBS, Jen identified three areas to address: expansion, partnerships, and fundraising.
Expansion
Jen had to think carefully about scale. More participants, more spinning hours, and more donors had allowed Cycle for Survival to grow in excess of 100% each year. But the event pushed the boundaries on the single venue in New York City. Should they contemplate expanding to Equinox’s forty-eight fitness centers in most major cities across the United States? Satellite cities raised only a fraction of the donations brought in at the event headquarters in New York City. What strategies could be introduced to strengthen the satellite city fundraising model? Lastly, should they consider creating different types of events, such as Swim for Survival or Run for Survival?
Partnerships
As highly as Jen regarded MSKCC, she wondered if the organization had the requisite resources to manage a series of events across the country. Most of the other initiatives that focused on fundraising for cancer research were regionally focused. If Cycle for Survival became a national endeavor would MSKCC have the financial and human capital to manage a large operation?
Fundraising
Jen played a key role in the fundraising process. As her infectious personality and ever-present smile had found its way onto major television networks, national magazines and newspapers, Jen and Dave, their families, and close friends had raised a disproportionate percentage of the total donations.
In the second and third years of the event, they discovered that evangelists were also very successful in raising money. How could they identify more patients and doctors to help champion their cause? Given the limitations required by government regulated privacy acts, could MSKCC help in this regard?
The Decision
Jen couldn’t help but know that she had profoundly impacted lives. She had done much more than raise over $2,000,000 in three years to fulfill a need that no other organization had met. Evidenced by the thousands of emails she received, hundreds of calls she answered, and national notoriety she garnered, Jen had become a source of inspiration and hope during a time when patients needed to know that better and more effective treatments were coming. Said one Cycle for Survival participant,
The fact that I’m here today is a testament to the quality of care I received at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Cycle for Survival is an absolutely fantastic event, and I’m convinced that the money we raise for cancer research will help save the lives of many others.
As she listened to the lyrics of the song Cycle for Survival – Just keep the wheels turning; So we can keep learning; Cycle for Survival; Join me for another mile – Jen knew it was imperative she build upon what she and Dave had begun just two years before, regardless of the challenges that came along with growth. After all, challenges were nothing new. ‘Jen 4, Cancer 0!’ read the cycling jerseys that her team, LiveStrong Linns, wore proudly during the January 2009 event.
With so many possibilities, seemingly an endless amount of support, and every incentive to succeed, the challenge of adopting the best strategy for growth remained. Jen knew the proposal to MSKCC would directly influence the future of research funding for Orphan Cancers, and may mean the difference in the lives of many patients, including her own.
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utiful!
