Peabody cancer survivor rides for fellow patients

PEABODY — It’s been 13 years since Peabody resident Robin Bernstein was diagnosed with cancer. Now cancer free, she’s riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge’s Winter Cycle for the sixth time to fight the terrible disease.

“I want to let people know what I went through and that there’s hope,” said Bernstein, a 61-year-old legal assistant. “That’s the biggest thing: There’s hope. You’ve got to believe.”

It was May 2012 when Bernstein became concerned by how much more frequently she was using the bathroom each day and noticed that her stomach was fully distended. The Tuesday after Memorial Day, a doctor’s visit turned into a sudden trip to the hospital for testing on a mass in her body.

At 9:40 p.m. that night, her doctor shared news that she never expected: She had ovarian cancer.

“I don’t know how I got home that night, but I did…” Bernstein said. “You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have your health, you have absolutely nothing.”

Bernstein underwent surgery for a hysterectomy and to remove her appendix and the cancerous mass that June. When she woke up in little pain and without a colostomy bag following the surgery, she had a feeling everything was going to be OK.

She was right. On July 3, 2012, Bernstein’s oncologist called her to let her know the cancer was Stage 1 and Grade 1A, meaning she wouldn’t need chemotherapy or radiation.

“I walked outside of Starbucks, I sat on the ground and I bawled my eyes out. I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” Bernstein said. “Health is wealth.”

Bernstein takes part in the Pan-Mass Challenge to support those who are still fighting their cancer and raise money for a cure.

She’s participating in the organization’s PMC Winter Cycle on March 9 at Fenway Park. Along with hundreds of others, she’ll be riding a stationary bike and raising funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Participants have to raise a minimum of $400. Bernstein’s already raised about $2,100 from friends, colleagues and even current cancer patients.

“One woman that lives on the North Shore, she’s got pancreatic cancer. She doesn’t have more than six months to live, and she’s one of the people that donated to my ride,” Bernstein said. “That’s pretty special.”

As jarring as her diagnosis was, Bernstein counts herself as one of the lucky ones.

“I just think how lucky am I to be sitting on a bike pedaling, listening to music? How lucky am I to be 12-and-a-half years cancer free?” she said.

“There is hope. You’ve got to believe that eventually, there’s going to be a cure.”

For more information on the Pan-Mass Challenge, visit www.pmc.org/. To donate to Bernstein’s ride, go to http://tinyurl.com/robinsridepmc.

Contact Caroline Enos at [email protected].