How One Cyclist Seeks Adventure in the Face of Cancer
In a crowd of celebratory riders and spectators at the 2025 Empire State Ride finish line, one road warrior stood out. A string of colorful beads hung from his neck, wrapped several times like a cascade to accommodate its 30 feet of length. The bright colors contrasted a white Excelsior jersey, catching the eye of passersby.
Naturally, people had questions.
“I don’t know why I didn’t expect it, but I had all sorts of people like, ‘What’s going on? What’s that all about? And I kept telling the story over and over and over,” said 2025 ESR road warrior Brice Dieter.
Brice was wearing Beads of Courage, given out through the Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Each bead tells the story of a child’s cancer journey. In this case, it’s the story of his son, James.
“Everything James goes through, he collects a bead for. So, every time he takes chemo, he gets a bead. Every time he gets a bag of fluids, he gets a bead,” Brice explained. “It’s both a beautiful image and a sobering one because of how long the string gets. It’s a powerful visual of what a child can go through.”
The pattern and color of each bead represents a different milestone in James’ treatment. A black bead represents port access, a white bead represents chemotherapy, a yellow bead represents an overnight stay in the hospital and so on.
A Difficult Diagnosis
On October 30, 2023, Brice learned that his then two-year-old son had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The diagnosis came after 11 days of testing and uncertainty. James soon embarked on the first leg of a three-year-long journey to recovery, undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy and many hospital stays.
For Brice and his family of six, James’ cancer journey meant learning to punch fear in the face. The mantra came to Brice on the drive to the hospital in Buffalo, just before the diagnosis.
“We had just gotten on 90, and the fear started to rise up in me. I’m having this conversation in my head: ‘He’s super sick. He’s going to die. It’s your fault.’ Really nasty things. And I stopped myself and said, ‘Nope! We’re not playing with this.’ And I told my wife that no matter what happens, we are not going to entertain fear.”
Ever since, Brice says James has navigated even the hardest parts of his treatment like a champion. So has the whole family. Together, they choose to hold on to the little moments — like James chasing his nurses down the hospital hallways, jumping his Hot Wheels cars over his feet while munching on a giant cookie or belly laughing at silly jokes. This keeps the family going strong.
I told my wife that no matter what happens, we are not going to entertain fear.”
Despite the inherently scary nature of leukemia, Brice adds that ALL has a set treatment path and a strong survival rate. It’s not lost on him that other forms of childhood cancer, like Ewing Sarcoma, are still difficult to treat.
“It’s so frustrating, angering, infuriating, how many people I know who are being diagnosed with some form of cancer and how some cancers don’t have treatments that work,” Brice said.
A Personal Challenge with a Real Impact
“Watching a child fight cancer means watching a parent carry an impossible weight as they face the unimaginable. But still, they never waver as their child's fiercest advocate."
When he stumbled upon a fundraiser for Empire State Ride in 2024, Brice took time to learn about the 500+ mile bike ride across New York State. The personal challenge drew him in; he loved the idea of pushing himself physically and getting outside his comfort zone. But he was also drawn to the idea of moving vital research forward to help others facing a cancer diagnosis — especially pediatric patients like James.
Brice soon discovered that the Courage of Carly Fund program manager, Megan Crawford, has participated in the weeklong Empire State Ride multiple times and planned to again that year. Knowing that he’d ride alongside someone so instrumental in his son’s care sold him on signing up. It’s also what led him to raise an incredible $11,280 for cancer research and achieve Excelsior status.
Reflecting on the experience of riding with Brice, Megan had this to say, “Watching a child fight cancer means watching a parent carry an impossible weight as they face the unimaginable. But still, they never waver as their child’s fiercest advocate. To ride alongside Brice and witness his strength transformed into action was both humbling and inspiring. And while I wish we met under different circumstances, I feel honored to be part of the Dieter family’s journey.”
Brice’s 2025 Empire State Ride Experience
Brice successfully conquered 500+ miles on the road during the 2025 Empire State Ride. His experience, however, transcends the miles. What stood out to Brice was seeing the impact of his fundraising up close: A rider, given more time with his dad because of Roswell Park’s CAR T-Cell therapy; doctors on the frontlines of cancer research, pedaling alongside Brice; programs showing patients living longer thanks to the money raised through events like Empire State Ride; and so much more.
“The impact is real. It’s insane,” Brice reflected.
At the 2025 finish line, Brice’s celebration was cut short due to an unexpected hospital visit for James. He crossed with his fellow road warriors and quickly left to be with his son. But he proudly wore his beads across the finish line.
“Seeing three of my four boys at the finish line, knowing that James and my wife are in the hospital collecting more beads was so powerful. And it galvanized the mission. It galvanized the purpose for why I just pedaled. It validated every sore, every tight muscle, every bit of discomfort I might’ve experienced and made it all more than worth it.”
“Seeing three of my four boys at the finish line, knowing that James and my wife are in the hospital collecting more beads was so powerful. And it galvanized the mission. It galvanized the purpose for why I just pedaled. It validated every sore, every tight muscle, every bit of discomfort I might've experienced and made it all more than worth it.”