Beating Multiple Myeloma One Ride at a Time

The winds were powerful, toppling over everything in their path, traveling 25 to 35 miles per hour and giving bikes wings as they flew up in the air. He could hear their whistling songs, howling loudly as they moved between the jagged mountains of Iceland. The mountains, covered with a blanket of snow, being a force of their own, a presence almost as intimidating as a middle school bully.

The rain fell fast, pounding hard onto the ground. Not a dry thing in sight. Not a plant left thirsty. The downpour clogged every pothole on the hilly and twisted trail. The route was rough and unpredictable, with pebbles flying every which way as his bike broke through. 

Despite these conditions, he was determined to finish the route. He wanted to show the world that his cancer did not mean he had to live a docile life. In his bright red rain jacket, accessorized by his 5-inch black and gray beard, Thomas Goode had a mission to complete.

Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells, is the second most common blood cancer in the world, with 176,404 new cases reported every year, according to the International Myeloma Foundation. To raise money and awareness for this disease, a group of 12 participants took part in the inaugural Iceland Cycling Expedition in Reykjavík on Aug. 29. Patients with myeloma, along with doctors and sponsors, participated in the event, showcasing their determination to not let the disease define them.

The three-day cycling trip raised close to $150,000, with these funds going towards finding a cure for myeloma.

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Thomas Goode, a 53-year-old Durham, North Carolina resident, was diagnosed with myeloma at age 34 after experiencing excruciating shoulder pain in 2005. Formerly employed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, N.C., he was forced to medically retire due to his diagnoses in 2008. He has undergone three stem cell transplants and radiation treatment and is currently undergoing infusion treatment every two weeks.

Goode has been involved in the myeloma community since his diagnosis, founding the Triangle Area Multiple Myeloma Support Group in Durham in 2014. He started the support group to provide a place for people battling the disease to come together and share their experiences. There are 160 support groups across the country.

Goode is a patient at Duke Hospital and had the opportunity to join the cycling fundraiser alongside his doctor, Dr. Cristina Gasparetto. Gasparetto has been Goode’s physician since 2007 and has been pursuing myeloma research for the past 25 years.

Goode said the trip made him feel alive.

“You know, just the excitement, just the surrealness, the fact that I am, as a myeloma patient, I'm riding a bicycle in Iceland,” Goode said. “It gives off a meaning that I can show others that even though we have this disease, there are things that we can do if our myeloma allows us to.”

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The Iceland Cycling Expedition was a fundraiser through the International Myeloma Foundation to raise money and awareness for multiple myeloma. The group has raised about $147,300, closing in on their $150,000 goal. There is already a waitlist for the 2025 trip.

 The Foundation, a nonprofit based in North Hollywood, Calif, helps people suffering with multiple myeloma. The event supported the Black Swan Research Initiative, a project by the IMF to cure myeloma, and the iStopMM Research Project in Iceland, which aims to test the entire population of Iceland over the age of 40 to study the disease’s evolution. The team visited the iStopMM lab, and Goode said it emphasized the magnitude of the project.

“That gave us a perspective of the actual reasoning that we were over there riding our bikes and doing fundraising,” Goode said. He said if doctors can detect myeloma earlier, they can improve the survival and quality of life of patients.

The cyclists rode 36 miles a day through rough terrain with heavy rain and powerful winds. The cycling trip was three days and two nights, ending on Sept. 3. They worked with local companies Deluxe Iceland and Icebike Adventures and was sponsored by Sanofi, a pharmaceutical and healthcare company.

 Sylvia Dsouza, vice president of development at the IMF, helped plan the trip. Dsouza said the event raised critical funds and awareness for the myeloma community, but there’s still a long way to go.

 She was able to ride alongside the team in Iceland and was blown away by each patient’s resilience.

“Everybody had a smile on their face,” Dsouza said. “They were there because they wanted to do it for themselves. They were there because they wanted to do it for other patients. They wanted to be a part of making change.”