Dubai: An Abu Dhabi doctor plans to cycle 100 miles (160.9km) in the scorching heat next Sunday to support cancer research and honour the memory of his father.
Dr Matthew Kroh, chairman of the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, who lost his father to cancer this May, will participate in the charity ride VeloSano, which is akin to cycling from Dubai to Fujairah.
VeloSano is a year-round, community-driven fundraising initiative to advance lifesaving cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. It is held every July 22 in Cleveland, Ohio, the US city where the health care network is headquartered.
Dr Kroh, however, will undertake the challenge in Abu Dhabi where temperatures next Sunday are forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius.
This is not Dr Kroh’s first charity ride, but it will be both physically and emotionally draining.
“I’ve taken part for four years now, but this year is especially challenging because I lost my father to oesophageal cancer just three months ago,” Dr Kroh said.
“He received outstanding care at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centre in Ohio and I am immensely thankful for the expert and compassionate care he received.”
Dr. Kroh is also associate professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
VeloSano supports projects that build upon and transition recent advancements in cancer research into new diagnostics and therapeutics.
Now in its fifth year, the initiative has already raised more than $12.5 million (Dh44million) towards new and emerging cancer research at Cleveland Clinic, supporting clinical trials, genomics, and immunotherapy projects by bridging the funding gap between researchers and physicians.
Around 2,000 cyclists and more than 1,000 additional volunteers took part in last year’s event.
