Daughter Teams Up With Dad To Fight His Cancer And Ride The PMC
BOSTON (CBS) – Kelly Bregman and her father Ed have a special bond. Throughout Kelly's life, Ed has been there for her every step of the way. From her ski instructor when she was 3 years old to a softball coach and math tutor in high school. Above all, Ed has been Kelly's confidant and best friend.
"I respect him for all the things he's ever done for me," she told WBZ-TV's Danielle Niles.
Since June of last year, the roles have reversed and it's now Kelly's turn to support him – in his fight against cancer. After an initial doctor's appointment the process evolved pretty quickly.
"We got the results back from the CT scan and they noticed lymph nodes in my abdomen were enlarged. So then we had an actual biopsy of one of the lymph nodes done and that's when we confirmed it was a case of cancer. CLL, chronic lymphnocytic leukemia is the official diagnosis," Ed explained.
"It was just really shocking," Kelly recalled.
After several grueling months of follow up tests, Ed decided to enter six months of chemotherapy treatments.
"It was intense, but I felt like I held up through it pretty well."
Now, Ed's focus is to regain his strength by training for the Pan Mass Challenge. He will be riding as a living-proof cyclist – to help inspire others battling the disease. And Kelly will be by his side for the entire 163-mile journey.
"This is a way to support the research to get it to a point where cures are possible and better treatments are possible," Ed said. "This is what in my mind makes Dana-Farber so great"
"For me, it was just knowing what my Dad has endured, and he's been there for me for 28 years," Kelly said.
"It's just another challenge for us to take on together"
Ed set two goals at the start of his chemotherapy: To ride in the PMC and to be in remission for his son's wedding which is just a few weeks away.
Ed got word just last week that he is in fact in remission.
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