TIFFANY WEIRBACH
aka “sportbikegirl”
Tiffany was one of the very first to use the power of the internet to spread her message of what it is like to be a female sportbike rider. With the boom of the online motorcycle communities, she became known all across the world as “sportbikegirl.” At age 21, Tiffany was diagnosed with Stage III Malignant Melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers. She used her already popular website www.sportbikegirl.com to share with the world her fight for survival and bring awareness to the terrible disease.
Sadly, she succumbed to Melanoma after a two and-a-half year battle at age 24 in October 2001.
Two years later, rally coordinator Stephani McIntyre, then 26, was diagnosed with Melanoma (read her story) yet found it at an early enough stage for it to be successfully removed. With this rally, we plan to bring awareness to the message that Tiffany began, continued with her family and remains to this day through Tiffany’s Melanoma Foundation. This Foundation brings awareness to those who overlook the seriousness of this deadly disease and provides financial support, when possible, to patients who need it for everything from rent to food.
*All proceeds collected from the rally will be donated to Tiffany's Melanoma Foundation. MELANOMA FACTS
Information obtained from The Melanoma Research Foundation
• Melanoma is in epidemic growth at a 3% increase of cases per year
• Melanoma risk: (1935) 1:1500; (1960) 1:600; (1985) 1:150; (2000) 1:74
• Fastest growing cancer currently in USA and worldwide
• Currently MORE new cases of melanoma than HIV/AIDS
• Most common cancer in young adults aged 20-30
• Women age 25-30: melanoma = primary cause of cancer death
• Women age 30-35: melanoma = #2 cause of death (after breast cancer)
LINK TO FACT SHEET (PDF)