If it weren’t for cancer, I wouldn’t be here right now. I don’t even know if I would have ever ridden in Pelotonia. I truly think that this is my purpose; my life’s mission is to be apart of this.”
Shannon Rece’s life changed in 2012 when her dermatologist called with her skin biopsy results.
“The minute I heard her say you have cancer, it all shut down. I didn’t take in anything else that she said. Being young and not very educated in this, I immediately thought it was a death sentence. Because melanoma is one of the deadliest if it isn’t caught soon enough.” Shannon Rece, two-time cancer survivor, says.
It wasn’t long before Rece had surgery to remove the melanoma. A day later, the Columbus native and L-Brands executive assistant signed up for her first Pelotonia.
“I just wanted an opportunity to heal, to make myself, feel better, do something that was going to get me up out of this dark place that I had been and the minute I got on that bike; it was life-changing.”
Rece was motivated. She helped raise money, designed t-shirts, and rode the following two years. But after her 75-mile ride in 2014, she knew something wasn’t right. A few months later, her doctor diagnosed her with cervical cancer, but once again, with treatment and surgery, she beat that, too.
“I dodged another bullet twice. So what is my purpose, and I really exploded my Pelotonia involvement that this is what I’m supposed to do.”
Now cancer-free, Rece’s fundraising efforts continue to grow, thanks in part to a special bond she formed two summers ago with Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State, and Austintown Fitch High School standout, Billy Price.
Price says Rece’s story so inspired him that he donated autographed items from Ohio State and Bengals teammates, helping propel her fundraising efforts to another level.
“It’s touching, and it’s moving and really understanding the significance of what she has done, and what her family has done, and just that journey itself. To me, it just calls you to do things. It calls you to help; it calls you just to be proud. I told her, and I looked at her, and I said no matter where I end up, I’m solely yours, whatever you need, whatever I can help with, I’ll make it happen,” says Billy Price.
"To think that something I said or did have enough of an impact on this young man that he wanted to be a part of this, it speaks volumes for the caring side and the compassion side that he has,” says Rece.
Rece’s fundraising efforts and company matches from L-Brands have raised more than 200-thousand dollars for cancer research over the past decade.
And this weekend Rece is one of the thousands of riders taking part in the Pelotonia ride.
She now rides for those battling or who have survived cancer—like her mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer just last year.
She knows there is a team fighting for her and all the others affected by cancer.
Rece sums it up well: “Things that we’ve accomplished as a team are absolutely incredible. These bright, intelligent minds are going to solve the cancer puzzle, and it’s going to be solved here in Columbus, Ohio.”
