Published: June 25, 2009 10:00 pm      

Capertons to join in Cancer Free Century Bike Ride

Hodgkin’s lymphoma took Austin Caperton III on a long, bumpy ride, but he persevered.

On July 11, Caperton, CEO of Beckley Feed and Hardware, will take another ride — this time through Boulder, Colo., as a testament to his 12-year triumph over cancer. Both of his sons, Austin IV and Mason, will join him in the 103-mile Cancer Free Century Bike Ride. Caperton’s wife, Brenda, who is also a cancer survivor of three and a half years, will be close by for support.

Caperton said, “In the cycling industry, rides are either supported or unsupported. We are supported by Brenda and my daughter-in-law, Melissa, who are driving what we call the SAG wagon. They are going to carry all of our supplies and tools so we can keep our load light, and if we have problems, they can jump in and help us.”

According to Caperton, there are three purposes to the Century Bike Ride. He said that while the event is about a great bike ride, more importantly, it is about surviving cancer and assisting great physicians.

When asked how he came up with the idea, Caperton said, “It was really a combination of things. We were going to go out to Boulder and visit our son who lives there, and we were going to do some riding. I got to thinking about how fortunate we were to have beaten cancer, and I wanted to give money to my doctors and see if some other people would help support those doctors. I didn’t set off with a goal, just thought we’d see what would happen, and it really snowballed from there.”

Austin and Brenda hope to raise funds for the three doctors who helped cure them. They pledged $500 each to Dr. Andrew Zelenetz and Dr. Joachim Yahalom of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and Dr. David Jones from the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville. Jones is originally from Lewisburg and a West Virginia University graduate.

Caperton said, “I am in support of anyone who is doing research on cancer, but we’ve been to our doctors and we know the work that they do. These doctors are not just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill physicians. These are research doctors who take the money and apply it directly to what is going on in the practice. They are seeing the patients, working on the patients, they are trying new things, trying to make things better and trying to improve the technology by which they cure cancer. We see those dollars going straight to them and their efforts. I like that feeling. It’s working.”

With the help of a few very generous donors, they have now raised about $10,000 toward cancer research. Caperton said he never anticipated such great results, but he is thankful for generous friends and people who are interested in giving.

Both Austin and Brenda commented on how fortunate they feel to have such a great local oncologist, Dr. Carl Larson of Raleigh Regional Cancer Center.

Caperton said, “You get the news that you have cancer, it’s a scary thing. The first step is having a great local oncologist. We are lucky to have one in this area and lucky to have a great cancer center with a great doctor, like Dr. Carl Larson.”

The Capertons say are happy to accept donations of any amount, and all contributions are fully tax-deductible. Caperton said all donations will be channeled through the Jobs Foundation Inc., a West Virginia 501c(3) nonprofit organization. The funds will then be equally distributed among the three doctors.

Checks can be made and mailed to Jobs Foundation, c/o Austin Caperton, 405 Prince St., Beckley, WV 25801

Additional information can be found on Caperton’s Web site: http://caperton. biz/bouldercenturyride.htm.

— E-mail: cclark@

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