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Miles4Alex bike event helps kids in Nepal and kids in Metro Detroit

Fundraiser honors legacy of Alex Graham of West Bloomfield

Alexandra Graham, a 16-year-old West Bloomfield resident who lost her fight with bone cancer in 1999, inspired many people during her short life.

Her legacy lives on through an August biking event that will raise funds for two programs at Beaumont Children’s Hospital, where Alex received her care, and for the Detroit2Nepal Foundation, created by a Beaumont doctor to fund health and educational projects for children in remote villages in Nepal. 

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The Miles4Alex bike event, part of the third annual Birmingham Bike Festival, is a half-mile, parade-style family bike ride taking place in downtown Birmingham on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. After the ride, families can stop by the Rock Companies/Beaumont Kids Fair on Martin Street adjacent to Shain Park for games, crafts and prizes.  All participants will receive free T-shirts. Participating kids will receive medals and superhero capes.

The event raises funds for Beaumont Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Bike Program, providing free, custom adaptive bikes for special needs children; the Pediatric Oncology Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic, providing care for childhood cancer survivors; and the Detroit2Nepal Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships, health education programs and toilet facilities for waste management for children in remote Himalayan villages in Nepal.

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The fundraiser was developed by Richard Keidan, M.D., a Beaumont surgical oncologist, who created the D2N Foundation and spends three months a year leading the Foundation’s work in Nepal.

“Alex Graham was a courageous young woman who lost her leg and ultimately her life to cancer,” says Dr. Keidan. “Her strength and her ability to put other’s needs ahead of her own is her legacy. So we’re asking Miles4Alex participants to celebrate her spirit by wearing superhero costumes, in keeping with the theme of this year’s bike event.”

To register for the ride, or to donate, go to www.crowdrise.com/miles4alex.

The first $25,000 raised will be matched by the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Charles Main, M.D., Beaumont’s chief of Pediatric Oncology who is retiring one week after the event following a 50-year medical career, will serve as grand marshal of the bike parade. Dr. Main was one of Alex Graham’s doctors at Beaumont.

Alex’s cancer battle is chronicled in the book “When One Door Closes” by her parents Susie and Bill Graham. The book describes Alex’s influence on others, including family, friends, caregivers and even a rock star – Ed Robertson of Bare Naked Ladies - who visited her at Beaumont in October 1998.  Alex’s final wish for a public service announcement about tolerance for those who look or sound different was granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The PSA, produced by the Berline ad agency, featured Alex and nine other children in cancer treatment. Bette Midler donated use of her song “Wind Beneath My Wings” for the PSA which aired nationally.

Miles4Alex is part of the Birmingham Bike Festival, a free event featuring amateur and professional road racing, a bike fair and bike safety clinics. For more information, go to www.birminghambikefestival.org.

About Beaumont Children's Hospital

Beaumont Children's Hospital provides comprehensive health services for infants, children and adolescents in more than 30 medical and surgical subspecialties at locations in Royal Oak, Troy, Grosse Pointe and other Southeast Michigan communities. The BCH team includes more than 80 pediatric subspecialists, more than 200 board-certified pediatricians, and pediatric nurses and support staff in more than 30 pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties. Some major pediatric specialties include neonatal and pediatric intensive care, emergency care, gastroenterology and pediatric surgery. Beaumont Children’s Hospital is a member of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beaumontchildrenshospital.

 


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