“The Journey”: Sea Colony holds cancer research fundraiser
BETHANY BEACH, Del. – Pickle Ball is a sport that has exploded in popularity in recent years. Sunday at Sea Colony, people were playing not just for fun, but for a cause that’s close to their hearts.
Eric Gelber’s journey started back in 2007, when he ran the New York City marathon to raise funds for his friend who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. His running efforts culminated in a 200 mile ultra-marathon that he completed in 2016: “We were doing just these solo runs, and every year it sort of got a little more attention and more people started coming out and we sort of built this community around these things that I was doing.” Eventually, Gelber decided to move away from running as a means of fundraising. He shifted his focus toward hosting events that more people from the community could participate in.
With the help of Sea Colony and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, “The Journey” hit the ground running last year and has made an immediate impact. “There were some people who were in the area who heard about this event, had just been diagnosed last week with multiple myeloma and now are feeling passionate about partaking and empowering themselves,” said Julie Ryan, Senior Manager of the MMRF Events Team. She spoke about how impactful and inspiring Gelber’s efforts, saying, “Eric has gone above and beyond for his dear friends. And this is just one of those things that is incredibly meaningful.”
Ryan holds the cause particularly close, as her mother was a cancer patient. She said that events like the pickleball tournament at “The Journey” not only raise money for cancer research, but are a way for families to get involved and empower themselves for a good cause. “[It] impacts so many people who have the disease, and then family members who feel sort powerless, [are able to] help by being able to come to an event like this and support them.”
Since he started 17 years ago, Eric Gelber and his collaborators have raised over $2.4 million dollars for multiple myeloma research. “The Journey” also included a tennis tournament and 5k fun run.
