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David Sutton's latest bike ride raised nearly $36,000 for the Myeloma Center.
Image by David Sutton
Myeloma Survivor Rides to Raise Money, Inspire Others
| More than 20 years after his initial myeloma diagnosis, David Sutton continues to express his gratitude for the care he’s received at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and display an unwavering desire to help those in a similar situation.
“I have greatly benefited from the research at UAMS,” said Sutton, a financial analyst for Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida, who also serves on the Cancer Institute’s Board of Advisors. “It’s important to support the ongoing efforts to not only find a cure but to further enable customized treatment solutions for each and every patient.”
Sutton’s way of supporting these efforts is a bike ride to raise money for multiple myeloma research. His most recent ride covered five days in late September through the mountains of western North Carolina.
This was the fifth multiday, fundraising bike ride Sutton has completed, with the first occurring in 2008.
The aftereffects of Hurricane Helene made this one more challenging than others. Scheduled for Sept. 22-28, Sutton was able to complete five days of the trip.
“We began near Chimney Rock and Lake Lure near Asheville,” he said. “Five days later, they got the brunt of the storm. The roads we rode on Sunday didn’t exist by Friday.”
Sutton was able to ride Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before staying in Wilkesboro, N.C., Thursday and Friday. He was back on his bike to complete the ride Saturday.
“By that point, we were east of where most of the storm was,” he said.
The ride covered 250 miles over 20,000 feet of elevation.
When he was diagnosed with myeloma in 2004, Sutton’s prognosis mirrored many others at the time — it didn’t look promising.
“I was first diagnosed at the age of 42, and my local oncologist told me the average age of diagnosis was around 70,” Sutton said. “He said he treated a number of patients with myeloma, but if I could wing it, he would get me another opinion in Little Rock.”
“I went to another institution, and they said my life expectancy was about three to five years. That’s when I decided to come to Little Rock.”
Sutton’s current treatment plan includes visits to UAMS every three to four months to meet with Myeloma Center clinical director Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D.
“The mindset regarding myeloma is completely different at UAMS,” said Sutton. “Everyone who works there knows that what they’re doing is special. Patients pick up on that, and I think that makes a big difference.”
Sutton considers his latest ride a success, with donations totaling just under $36,000. He has cumulatively raised more than $75,000 for the Myeloma Center.
“My goal for this one was $32,000 — it’s an aggressive number, and one we’ve never come close to before, but we were able to exceed it,” he said.
An adjusted approach to marketing appears to have contributed to more gifts.
“In the past I’ve reached out to friends and workplace colleagues,” Sutton said. “I belong to a lot of Facebook organizations linked to cycling, and I received permission to post in different groups. I never really heard from anyone, but it turns out we received a lot of anonymous donations. You never know when you might come across someone where this means a lot to them, and they have the means to contribute.”
Sutton maintains a positive attitude throughout his cancer journey.
“I’ve been blessed regarding my situation with myeloma. I went into remission pretty quickly, stayed in remission for a long time, relapsed a couple of times, but in general, for me it’s been an easier ride than for others,” he said. “Besides raising money for research, all I can do is hope some people look at it and say there’s hope out there that they can go into remission, deal with this disease and have as normal a life as possible.”