Remembering Candice Cottom Day

Candice Day passed away after a battle with cancer on August 14, 2022. Losing her at just 74 years young has left a hole in many hearts, but those who loved her are grateful for every minute they had with her.

Candy, as she was known in her younger years, was the beloved daughter of John and Madeline Cottom. She grew up alongside her younger sister Gaile in Avon, New York. Although the family joked that Candy treated Gaile as a “human remote control” when they were kids, they grew up to become best friends who usually spoke multiple times daily.

After graduating from Avon High School, Candy attended Monroe Community College. The greatest surprise and joy of her life was becoming a young mother to Alayne and Chris. She raised them in Avon, close to her parents and large extended family, including many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Like her father and many family members, Candy briefly worked at Kodak, but spent most of her working life, over 25 years, at Lightnin Co. There, she made dear friends to whom she remained close for the rest of her life. As a true people person, customer service was always her calling. When she worked at Verizon, her bosses thought some of her phone calls with customers stretched a bit long, but she left callers satisfied.

Outside of work, Candy was always up for a new adventure and a good time. Not many people take up skiing, swimming, or rollerblading in their 40s, but she was game. She loved to travel, especially to a destination with a beautiful water view or a casino. The Bahamas, where she took many trips with her extended family, always had a special place in her heart. She loved spending time on the beach and a fun boat ride, especially if music and cocktails were involved. Watching her beloved Buffalo Bills and tennis, particularly if Venus or Serena were playing in a big match, were favorite pastimes. If she were here, she would say “13 seconds!!!” Any true Bills fan knows exactly what that means.

Candy was the ultimate cool mother, grandmother, and aunt. She was always willing to talk about anything—truly, *anything*—to listen, and to dispense advice. Being the mother of Alayne and Chris, and the grandmother of Storm, Jai, and Tylan was her greatest joy. Together, Candy, Alayne, and Chris were an unshakeable trio. And she loved hanging out with her grandsons, particularly during sleepovers and camping trips—even when it meant she had to watch The Lion King over and over and over again. Tameka and April became her daughters as well. She watched their accomplishments with pride. Candy shared much love and laughter with all of them.

Two other loves require mention: dogs and food. She was a devoted Dog Mom to Tasha, Baron, and Luca, and Dog Grammy to Saint. She was a great cook and, as long as her exacting standards were met, also loved to have a meal out. Her eggs had to be scrambled soft, her steak had to be well-seasoned, and her bacon had to be crisp—never flibbery. Trying new restaurants in and around New York City during visits to Gaile and her family was always a treat.

Those who were close to her will always remember her unmatchable wit, wisdom, and incredible kindness. She made friends everywhere she went, most recently at Oak Hill Terrace in Brighton, where she lived and found a wonderful community in recent years. She was so grateful for the support she received from friends, both old and new, in her final months. The excellent care she received from the kind staff at Serenity House, where she spent her last days, eased her transition.

A favorite family memory is of Candy being crowned “Miss Flame” at Kodak in 1971. The picture of her posing next to a fire truck, wearing the winner’s sash and donning a perfect afro, hung in her parents’ home for many years. That title reflected her beauty, but those who loved her knew that she was even more beautiful inside than out. She will be missed forever. Her memory is a blessing. Mrs Day, this ride's for you.

Kylie's Ride.

Meet Kylie

9-year-old Kylie is a kind and outgoing young lady who is bravely fighting cancer for the second time in her young life.

At Kylie's 6th birthday party in January 2022, her mom noticed that something was wrong. Her typically bubbly and chatty daughter was tired and lagging behind her friends on their way to the movie theater.

Over the next few weeks, more signs appeared – Kylie complained of hip and leg pain, and she became too sore to walk. Her mom wheeled her into appointment after appointment in a stroller.

After multiple tests and scans, an official diagnosis finally came... Kylie had stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the soft tissue. At this stage, the cancer had already spread to Kylie's abdomen, lymph nodes, and the fluid in the lining of her lung.

Kylie started treatment immediately and underwent 30 weeks of VAC chemotherapy along with 7 weeks of radiation. The intense frontline treatment took a major toll on her body, leaving her exhausted, nauseous, and often in pain. She spent over 100 days in hospital during the first phase of treatment.

It was a big relief when she finally hit maintenance chemotherapy and started to regain her strength. During her year of maintenance chemotherapy, Kylie was able to go back to school as well as her favorite activities, which made such a difference mentally and emotionally.

Kylie finished up with all treatment in November 2023, or so they thought, and she was finally able to be a kid again with minimal restrictions. She had appointments every 3 months, and otherwise it felt like life had pretty much returned to normal. She even signed up to ride in the Great Cycle Challenge last year to help other kids fighting cancer!

Sadly, after 14 months off treatment, Kylie relapsed on January 6, 2025.

In a flash, her hard-fought sense of normalcy was ripped away and it was right back into intensive treatment. Kylie is as brave and resilient as they come, but the emotional impact of re-entering this battle has hit hard. She has had to process so much disappointment and fear, and it has taken a visible toll on her spirit at times.

In her mom’s words, “Her strength is incredible, but the impact of this journey is something we navigate every single day.”

Her family is focused on keeping her comfortable when she’s feeling unwell and creating joyful moments together whenever she has the energy – from little adventures and fun outings to quality time together at home.

Kylie is currently receiving a treatment protocol known as VIT chemotherapy. She has completed 6 cycles and will continue up to a possible total of 12 cycles depending on how her body continues to respond to the treatment.

Her parents, Kristen and Sean, are passionate advocates for childhood cancer research. Their experience has shown them that we need better, less toxic options for kids and we need them now.

“The protocols for rhabdomyosarcoma were developed decades ago and the overall survival rate is unfortunately not great. We need funding for research and development of new protocols that will lead to better long-term outcomes,” Sean told us.

In their words, “Kids like Kylie deserve to grow up. They deserve to go to school, play, and live full healthy lives… Advocating for research brings hope to families and gives kids like Kylie a real chance at the future they deserve.”

GCC’ers, your riding and fundraising efforts mean the world to brave kids like Kylie and their families… THANK YOU!

You're more than welcome Kylie, this ride is for you. Keep fighting. We will keep pedaling. Let's cross the finish line together.

For Zander

Meet Zander

This energetic, fun-loving 6-year-old legend has kicked cancer’s butt not once, but twice in his young life.

On February 13th, 2023, Zander was diagnosed with stage 2 Wilms’ tumor.

At the time of his diagnosis, his tumor was the size of a football. He underwent major abdominal surgery to remove the tumor, which also required one of his kidneys to be removed. He then started treatment and underwent 21 weekly outpatient chemotherapy treatments from February to June 2023, along with regular scans.

Zander handled it all like an absolute trooper, and everyone celebrated when he was given the “all-clear” following his final chemotherapy treatment. His parents could breathe again, and Zander could go back to just being a kid.

Then, in July 2023, some concerning new symptoms appeared. He started to experience pain in his left leg and developed a limp. It was diagnosed as bursitis, however summer scans started to show areas of concern on the bone and further biopsies were requested.

Zander’s family were given the devastating news that he had relapsed on November 15, 2023.

He was diagnosed with stage 4 Wilms’ tumor, relapse to the bone, which is incredibly rare. The cancer was now in his femur, vertebrae, and right foot. Zander’s oncologist, neurosurgeon, and orthopedic physician had never seen Wilms’ tumor relapse with bone involvement only.

Due to the progression of his cancer, he required a much more aggressive treatment plan post-relapse than the first time around. This came with the risk of more side effects, especially since he had previously had a kidney removed.

This brave boy endured weekly treatments for the next 11 months, from November 2023 to September 2024. During that period, he spent 2 to 5 days in hospital every single week. He also had 14 proton radiation treatments during that time. Zander has collected over 200 beads of courage, without even including the special ones.

This cancer journey, with all its twists and turns, has been an emotional and physical rollercoaster for Zander and his family.

Despite the many challenges he has faced, Zander has always maintained his positive attitude. He put on a good game face, a “tough guy mask,” and it took him a while to share his real feelings. His parents noticed that Zander would always try to make the best of every situation.

It hurt his loved ones so much to see the terrible things he went through, but Zander didn’t let anything stop him from smiling, laughing, running, jumping, and playing. He would ride his scooter during radiation, play fun games with his physical therapist during their progress sessions, and have the best time at the Ronald McDonald house gym.

Zander has now finished treatment and is being closely monitored.

His parents are sharing his story because he wants to help other kids get through what he went through, and because “We need to make advancements in effective treatments with minimal long-term side effects, to improve what is known about different types of childhood cancers like Wilms in the bone, and to invest in more studies on mental health and genetics when it comes to childhood cancer treatment and also the years after.”

Zander has shown everyone how strong he is, and he’s now able to go back to enjoying his childhood. He’s loving life with his parents and his big brother Asher, plus their 5 turtles, 3 dogs and 1 fish.

Saturday's ride was for you, Zander… you’re a legend!

Ride For Rub!

Rubi was diagnosed with T-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2023. At the time of her diagnosis, doctors found a large mass that covered her heart, lungs, and airway.

This brave little lady has endured over 736 days of treatment. She has battled difficult side effects and treatment complications, and displayed maturity far beyond her years.

Rubi is a warrior and an inspiration. 💪

Thankfully, she now has less than 4 months left of maintenance chemotherapy before she officially finishes treatment.

Rubi, this ride is for you.

This one's for my mom.

Typically I save the last ride of the challenge for my mom. However this past Saturday, when I took a short ride with some of the Next-Gens, to 7-Eleven for Slurpee's. I knew that ride should be for her. Great Grandma would be proud of all of you.

September 9th

September 9th, and I am a little more than a week into this years challenge. The miles indicate that I'm off to a good start, but the encouragment that I have received along the way, says that I'm just scratching the surface. I will begin ride dedication. If you have someone you would like me to ride for, just reach out to me. I will make it happen. Thanks for following along.

Day one.

I'm off to a good start, 22 miles in the books.

Tribute Day

Another year's Tribute day. Feeling thankful to be a part of it.

Tuesday's here.

Last week to warm up before this year's challenge begins.

Welcome to Friday.

A quick out and back, to complete about 22 miles. Workday in between.