Photos courtesy of Ray LaVoie
AT 19, YOU expect to be busy with exams, friends, parties and more. Cancer is never supposed to be part of the equation. But for Pelotonia President Doug Ulman, it quickly changed the course of his life.
Ulman was preparing for his sophomore year at Brown University when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called chondrosarcoma.
“When you’re 19, you’re not thinking about your mortality,” Ulman says. “And that was obviously a really challenging time.”
The diagnosis was stressful enough, but realizing there were hardly any resources for young adults with cancer made Ulman decide to do something about it.
“It was frustrating, because all I wanted to do was to talk to someone my own age and hear from someone else who had been through what I was going through,” he says. “That’s what drove my desire and passion to connect young adults with other people experiencing a similar journey.”
At such a relatively young age, Ulman had no idea how to take on this mission, he says, but knew there was a clear void in the cancer community. When he did find people his age who were fighting or had survived cancer, not only was it therapeutic for him, but it helped inspire what would eventually become the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.
Ulman and Dr. Zihai Li from Pelotonia Institute forImmuno-Oncology.
“I learned a lot at a very young age, and for that, I’m, in some ways, beyond grateful,” Ulman says. “To have that happen at such an early stage in my life was transformational. It’s easy to say now, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“I had no idea…”
His passion and drive propelled Ulman to serve as the Ulman Fund’s executive director for four years before joining the LIVESTRONG Foundation in 2001 as director of survivorship. Ulman says he had no idea that he’d be working for cancer organizations his whole life.
“My parents instilled in me a passion for service and giving back to the community; however, without my own diagnosis, I wouldn’t have wound up in the cancer advocacy community,” he says. “It’s been the honor of my life to work every day with tremendous people who are trying to save and improve the lives of others.”
In fact, Ulman actually once had ambitions to be a teacher. To this day, he admires the younger generations for having such unbridled optimism and hope.
Through his work with nonprofits, Ulman had visited Columbus over the years and made tons of connections. He’d heard about Pelotonia before the first ride even took place and was an admirer from the start. When he received a message asking him to discuss Pelotonia, he agreed to a phone call, but said he wasn’t going to up and leave where he resided in Houston, Texas.
“One thing led to another, and six years later, here I am,” he says, laughing. “It’s exceeded my expectations – and I had very high expectations.”
DIY Pelotonia
Having been with Pelotonia since 2014, Ulman has seen it all – but no one could have anticipated COVID-19. In early March, he and his team knew the traditional Pelotonia weekend just wasn’t in the cards. The team adapted quickly and began looking at some past ideas they had never had the time to execute. That’s where My Pelotonia came from.
“It’s the DIY version,” Ulman says.
The event went virtual, allowing participants to log their Pelotonia journey anywhere, anytime. The platform encouraged not only biking, but walking, running, swimming or any other creative mode participants could think of. The response was so positive that, in addition to the in-person event, the virtual option will be included in the 2021 event.
"It was phenomenal to watch not only our internal team, but the community embrace something at a time with so much uncertainty,” he says. “We always thought the community would inspire us with their engagement, but we were overwhelmed with what they delivered this year.”
Along with the My Pelotonia platform, participants were asked: “What will your Pelotonia 2020 be?” It was a way of having people step back and set goals, whether physical, mental or otherwise. Ulman had three things he wanted to accomplish for Pelotonia 2020.
“I rode my bike to Cincinnati with my friends, rode 10 miles with my wife and kids, and had a goal of running 200 miles over the course of a summer,” he says. “Hearing some of the community’s stories and goals was so inspiring because they were so personal.”
The Pandemic and Pelotonia
While the Pelotonia virtual event went smoothly, there’s still lots of concern that the cancer community isn’t receiving the attention it needs during the pandemic.
“There’s a lot of stress put on nonprofits right now because there’s less resources and more need,” Ulman says. “Frankly, the cancer community is not immune to that. There’s a need financially to invest in cancer research, screening and advocacy.”
Because individuals with cancer are at greater risk for COVID-19, more research needs to be backed to understand why that is and how doctors might treat those patients differently if they should be diagnosed.
Another problem in the health care world right now is that people are postponing regular checkups such as annual mammograms, dermatology appointments and colonoscopies. Experts fear this will lead to more people being diagnosed with conditions at later stages, which is more dangerous.
“There’s actually more research and programs to fund now than there were a year ago,” Ulman says. “And yet the resource availability is so uncertain. But that’s another good thing about Columbus; people really do stand together because they care so much about the institutions and organizations that are making an impact.”
Ulman finished off the year with one motto: gratitude.
“I feel so fortunate to have a healthy family, to have food on the table and to be part of community that’s so caring.”
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
