CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Queen City’s own uniquely named charity bike ride, ’24 Hours of Booty,’ to benefit patients fighting cancer is back.
Around 800 cyclists and walkers are expected to take part in this year’s ’24 Hours of Booty.’
One team adds names each year to their memory bikes, survivor bikes, and battle bikes.
“He was five months, and he was battling for his life,” said Steve Kibler of his son, Camden.
Camden was a fighter.
“In the hospital, they called him ‘man baby.’ They would do spinal punches on him and medications, and he never cried,” said Steve Kibler.
“Keep Pedaling,” the motto of “Team Camden,” sounds a lot like the Panthers’ motto, ‘Keep Pounding.’”
“All the names on here are people that have passed away from cancer, unfortunately,” said Kibler, showing his team’s Memory Bike.
They ride for the names on the bike that are so small they’re hard to read because there are so many.
And the ride for Camden Kibler.
“My son lived 160 days. He passed away in 2008,” said Kibler.
Ever since that year, Kibler has been riding in ‘24 Hours of Booty,’ a bike ride to benefit patients battling cancer.
“I have no excuses. The back of our jerseys say he ‘had cancer, keep pedaling, no excuses,” said Kibler.
“Team Camden” has two rules: ride 160 miles for Camden’s 160 days of life, and do not sleep for 24 hours.
“On the last night, Camden was alive, they gave us two recliners to sit in to hold him, and I fell asleep,” explained Kibler.
“There was a level of guilt I had so I’ve tried to turn that level of guilt into a positive.”
Keep pedaling. Don’t give up.
“We’re about to go out and symbolically we’re going to ride to the end of his life.”
But Camden is always there with them.
“He started pointing at my heart, he said, ‘Your son is right there, he never left.”
Over the years, this bike ride has raised more than $25 million for patients at Levine Cancer Institute and Levine Children’s Hospital.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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