Yarden Frankl
Yarden FranklIsrael news photo

On November 9, Yarden Frankl will travel from Israel's highest elevation to its lowest and then up to the country's second highest spot. He will be attempting a 260-kilometer bike ride from the Hermon Mountain in the Golan Heights to past the Dead Sea, up the mountain pass to Jerusalem and on to his home in Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion, 10 minutes south of Jerusalem.

The ride is set to begin at midnight and should be over some 12 hours later.

Frankl, who works for HonestReporting, is training for the daring feat. He is looking to win sponsorship and raise funds for the Oncology Department at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in appreciation of the treatment that his wife, Stella, has received there over the past  year. 

Those interested in donating can click here.

Here is the story behind the cause that Frankl is riding for:

Last June, Stella visited the Shaare Zedek emergency room with stomach pains. Unfortunately, those stomach pains turned out to be caused by late stage stomach cancer. She immediately began aggressive chemotherapy treatment in the oncology department, although the prognosis was extremely poor.

Stella's response to the treatment, under the direction of Dr. Amiel Segal of the Oncology Institute, was amazing and after six months of treatment she underwent a radical surgical procedure performed by the director of the Shaare Zedek Department of Surgery, Professor Petachia Reissmann.

“She is currently continuing to receive treatment in the Oncology Department.” according to a statement.

Frankl told the press:

“Last year, we felt that we were locked in one long dark night…All the time we were waiting for the sun to rise, for the dawn of the day when our hopes of defeating the cancer would be realized. For us, that day came after numerous aggressive chemo treatments, radical surgery, and the prayers of thousands around the world.”

“But looking back, we now know that the experience was not just one of darkness. We were on an emotional roller coaster. Where one day we would be filled with hope and the next we would find ourselves at the lowest of low points, hoping to rise up again. I wanted to take on a ride that would reflect both the aspect of longing for the dawn but also rising up from the depths. I can think of nothing that would be more symbolic that riding from the highest point in Israel to the lowest and then back up to the second highest.

“We received fantastic care at Shaare Zedek, but the unfortunate reality is that in the cancer wing, business is booming. Cancer patients have to fight such a tough battle, they deserve the best resources available. I hope that through this ride, people will make donations so that we can help other cancer patients get the medical help they need to make a full recovery.”