Riding For Derek, Again

Digger was getting emotional.

It's not something he usually gets. He usually gets determined. He usually faces situations heads on, with a courage that is impossible to miss.

TigerBlog has seen him connected to an IV that was dripping chemotherapy into his veins, and he took it completely in stride. If anything he joked about it.

So when TB says that he saw his friend Digger get emotional, it's something that really stands out.

This was early Saturday morning, at the home of Charlie Thompson, Princeton's head athletic trainer. The occasion was the Million Dollar Bike Ride, which is 2020 was vastly different than it had been in years past.

Were it not for the pandemic, the event would have been in Philadelphia. And it would have been earlier. Instead of 8:30 at Charlie's house, it would have been 6:30 in Philadelphia.

And the 20 or so people who were at Charlie's house would have been in Philadelphia at 6:30, no questions asked. Or 4:30 in the morning. Or 11 at night. Or whenever Digger asked them to be.

The Million Dollar Bike Ride is part of the effort that Digger - whose real name is Steve DiGregorio - and his family have thrown themselves into as they attempt to do anything they can to combat the rare disease of Ataxia Telangiectasia, something that affects one in 300,000 people. One of those people is Derek DiGregorio, the middle son of Steve and Nadia.

Derek turns 23 soon, and he's been fighting this fight for nearly all of that time, as has his family, and his extended family, one with very deep Princeton Athletics roots.

The bike ride is only a small part of that effort. In fact, the DiGregorios have left no stone unturned in this battle, one that has seen them raise money and awareness, all while racing against an unforgiving prognosis for Derek.

Not that you could ever tell that from talking to Derek. His spirit has never wavered either, and if he can't inspire you with his courage, then you are uninspirable, if that is a word.

A lot has changed since the last bike ride in Philadelphia last June. There was the pandemic of course, which made it into a virtual ride this year. Participants ride in teams, all representing different orphan diseases, and unlike the ride in Philadelphia, this time those teams could ride wherever they wanted.

And then there was Digger himself.

If he wasn't busy enough and tested enough, now all of the sudden he had his own health crisis, one involving a bout with cancer. Digger fought that one hard (TB witnessed a few chemo sessions first hand) and now seems to have gotten past it.

And there he was Saturday morning ready for the bike ride. Before he sent the group out on the road, he said a few words - and it was there that he started to get emotional.

He spoke about how no matter what stage of cancer treatment he was at, he told his doctors that he would be riding come June. And he was right.

As for the ride itself, it's usually an option of 13 or 34 miles. Charlie has a 17-mile loop that he does from his house, so it became 17 or 34. Or some fractions of that, depending who you were.

TB ended up doing the full 34. He was one of five riders who did so, along with Charlie, football Senior Associate Head Coach Steve Verbit, former Princeton women's basketball player and assistant coach (and one-time Ivy League Player of the Year) Addie Micir and former Princeton assistant football coach and current Dartmouth assistant Don Dobes.

At various times TB found himself riding with that group, or with former men's basketball player Howard Levy, or former Princeton baseball player Ted Deutsch. The ride allowed plenty of time to talk, about anything and everything, especially about current events.

When the riding was over, it was back to Charlie's backyard and a socially distanced reception. Derek was there too, in his usual manner of laughing, joking, making fun of people, being made fun of himself - all the usual 23-year-old stuff.

It was nice for everyone to be together, especially given the isolation that has defined this spring.

Pandemics notwithstanding, though, the DiGregorio family is never going be defined by isolation.

This is a family that is never alone. This is a family with way too much spirit, way too much determination for that.

Once again TigerBlog found himself in awe of them.