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Fithian riding for Ryan Christian
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Neighbors | Submitted.Lauren Fithian is all smiles after completing the 2009 Pelotonia bike race for cancer in Columbus. She is riding in this year's event in honor of Ryan Christian, who was diagnosed with cancer in February.
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Lauren Fithian (left) spells out O-H-I-O with fellow OSU students after last year's Pelotonia bike race.
By ERIC HAMILTON
When Lauren Fithian babysat the daughter of Jeff and Dorie Christian, she was paid for her services. Now, five years later, she’s paying them back — one mile at a time.
Fithian, a 2007 graduate of Poland Seminary High School and currently a senior at Ohio State, will join thousands of riders in Columbus Saturday and Sunday to participate in The Ohio State Pelotonia, a 180-mile bike race for cancer. The race will start in Columbus and continue to Athens, Ohio, and then return to Groveport, Ohio.
During her junior and senior year of high school, Fithian babysat Ryan Christian, daughter of former Youngstown Steelhounds player Jeff Christian.
The Christian family lived in Canfield and Jeff’s wife, Dorie, worked in Boardman during their stint in the Mahoning Valley. In 2007, Christian was traded to a team in Tulsa, Okla., and now plays in Missouri.
This past February, Fithian learned that 8-year-old Ryan was diagnosed with pediatric adrenal cortical carcinoma, a rare cancer that affects one in a million. On Feb. 15, Ryan underwent surgery to remove her tumor and is presently undergoing her seventh round of chemotherapy at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
SDLqRyan has a great attitude and remarkable personality and is now on her way to a strong, healthy recovery,” said Fithian. “She inspires me. I’m doing this for Ryan.”
This is the second year for The Ohio State Pelotonia, a grassroots bike tour where every dollar raised goes directly to fund cancer research at The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
Fithian is completing this year’s ride in honor of Ryan and taking her friend along with her. She will place a photo of the two of them in the spokes of her bike wheel so they can go on the journey together.
“I’m taking her with me,” said Fithian. “It will be just me and Ryan out there.”
Fithian plans to wear a pink jersey for her trek in honor of Ryan’s favorite color. She said she might also wear some sort of a crown because Ryan likes princesses.
“I think I’m going to send her a shirt and tell her to think of me while I’m riding.”
The 180 miles will be broken down into two days. She will cover 100 miles on Saturday, with a couple of stops along the way. Day two will include an 80-mile trip back to Columbus. The route is pretty grueling with hilly terrain to conquer.
“I was pretty sore last year,” said Fithian, who completed the trip in 2009 in honor of her former track coach Dan Flood and her aunt and uncle, Robert Crofford (2000) and Paula Prest Crofford (2007), who lost battles with cancer. “But I have better training this year and we have breaks, so I’ll take advantage of those.
“I don’t really have any goals. I just want to do this for Ryan and help raise money for cancer research. From babysitting Ryan I just have a connection with her and her family and I want to help.”
Fithian wants to raise $2,000 during this year’s ride. Anyone interested in donating can visit www.pelotonia.com and enter her rider number: 2151.