A fulfilling ride

Lawrence resident raised $14K for cancer research, in honor of his late wife.

By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
   The first anniversary of the death of Main Street resident Thomas Baker’s wife, Carole Baker, from gastric cancer passed June 14 — and it also marked the day that Mr. Baker raised more than $14,000 for cancer research.
   Mr. Baker raised the money by pledging to walk, jog and ride around in a circle for 24 consecutive hours. The route started at the Twin Pines Airport on the Lawrenceville-Pennington Road. The route turned right onto Blackwell Road and then left onto Federal City Road, where it ended at the airport.
   Although Mr. Baker’s plan fell a little short — he had to cut it off after nearly 14 hours because of stormy weather — he said this week that he was pleased to have raised the money for cancer research.
   "It is beyond what I was hoping to raise, so I am happy with that," Mr. Baker said Tuesday. "This was done to honor Carole and in some small way contribute (to cancer research), so that maybe someday, someone won’t have to go through what she had to go through."
   Mr. Baker said he began walking, jogging and riding his bicycle at 5 a.m., but he halted his circuit at 7:30 p.m. at the urging of his friend, Susan Markens, when she expressed concern about the deteriorating weather conditions, he said.
   Nevertheless, Mr. Baker rode 106 miles on his bicycle and walked or jogged for 12 miles. He said he was accompanied on the circuit by Tony Berg, a friend from the days when he worked at the pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Baker retired last month.
   The money that Mr. Baker raised has been donated to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for cancer research. Gastric cancer is a relatively rare form of cancer, he said, adding that it is sometimes difficult to diagnose.